World On Fire
by TheLokiExperience
Summary: A pretty teenager with an addictive touch. A damaged young woman known for destruction. These new recruits aren't like anyone they've met before - but they're at the mansion to learn control. But when you learn about your mutation, you learn about yourself. And you might not like what you find. Alex/OC; Charles/OC/Erik. *ON HIATUS*
1. Mutation

**PART ONE**

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**Chapter One: Mutation**

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**A/N: Hey everyone! So we've been super excited about the release of the new X-Men film and thought we would put our story up :) Now Part One will take place during the events of X-Men: First Class, and then Part Two is going to take place during X-Men: Days of Future Past. Hope that makes sense! Please do leave a review, feedback is always much appreciated.**

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Samedi Merritt was not normally a clubbing type of girl. It might be hard to believe, considering that she was currently rolling around without a shirt on with a guy who was almost ten years older than her. But her friends had convinced her to come with them, many of them only having recently turned eighteen – Sam being one of them. She honestly hadn't expected to come home with a guy. But Colin had just been too cute for her to resist, and as usual, he had been interested in her as well.

Colin was all over her, his body pressed against hers as he groped at her through the fabric of her lacy black bra. Sam didn't know what it was with guys. Since she had been about fourteen and gotten curves, guys had suddenly been interested in her. She liked to think it was because they thought she was hot – she was blonde with blue eyes, a slight tan and an hourglass figure that often earned her the nickname of 'Barbie', a nickname she hated. But it was more than that, although Sam couldn't quite put a finger on why guys seemed to want her.

"Sam? You around?"

A voice from downstairs made Sam bolt up, pushing Colin off her and lunging for her shirt. It was her twin brother Sydney. Although at least it was better than her parents coming home, Sam knew that Syd didn't like her being with guys. He thought she looked cheap if she was sleeping around with a lot of them. He didn't know she'd slept with less than half a dozen. What Syd didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

"Shit."

"Who's that?" Colin asked, looking slightly disappointed as he watched Sam pull her shirt back on and fix up her hair.

Sam rolled her eyes. "My brother."

The door was shoved open and Sam scowled at Syd. The twins both shared the same golden good looks, but Syd was nearly a foot taller than his sister. Syd had always been the popular one, the guy at school that everyone had gotten along with. When they'd graduated, Syd had been the smart one who had won all of the awards. Sam was just the pretty blonde girl who had guys making bets about who'd get in her pants first.

"Fuck, can you knock?" Sam folded her arms. Although she and Colin were both dressed, Syd wasn't an idiot and he would be able to tell what she'd been up to.

"Who the hell is this?" Syd's eyes narrowed threateningly as he took in Colin. Sam knew that her brother was often protective of her, knowing how easily guys were drawn to her.

"It doesn't matter, okay?" Sam snapped.

Colin looked uncomfortable. "Uh, maybe I should go…"

Syd pointed insistently at the door. "Leave."

Both twins glared at each other as Colin headed downstairs, the door closing behind him. Sam got to her feet and stormed downstairs, Syd following her, much to her annoyance. Why could he never mind his own business?

"Are you insane?!" Syd exclaimed.

Sam stomped into the kitchen. "Insane because what, I'm hooking up with someone?"

"Twice your age," Syd retorted, watching as his sister filed through the cupboard for coffee. Sam really needed to be more careful with who she chose to bring home. Not every guy was a mad axe murderer, but they didn't all have the best of intentions.

Sam scoffed. "Please, he's twenty-five."

Syd reached out and grabbed her arm, and Sam screamed as for some inexplicable reason, white-hot pain shot through her wrist. Syd's eyes widened and he drew back, looking shocked. Sam's wrist was on an odd angle, clearly broken as she stared down at it in horror. That wasn't possible. Syd had barely even touched her. How could he have broken her wrist?

"Sam?" Syd asked, before he started scratching at his face. Sam thought bitterly that it would ironic if something bad happened to him, maybe related to bugs. She knew how much her brother hated bugs. It was only when Syd crossed over and grabbed a large steak knife that Sam frowned.

"Syd?"

"Get it out," Syd said, rubbing furiously at one of his eyes.

Sam frowned. "Get what out?"

"The bug!" Syd cried, and a jolt of horror coursed through Sam. There couldn't possibly be a bug in his eye. It was just coincidence, because she had been thinking about bugs. But then why would Syd think there was one? "It's in my eye!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Sam replied, her hands curling into fists.

Syd cried out in either pain or fear, and the next think Sam knew, he had raised the knife and stabbed himself in his left eye. Sam screamed and screamed as blood immediately started to pour down his face, as her brother collapsed on the kitchen floor with the knife still in his eye. Sam put her hands over her mouth and sobbed, wondering what had driven her twin to do that to himself. Syd had gone crazy. That had to be the only explanation…right?

* * *

Clara Azaria yawned as she slowly drew herself from her peaceful sleep. She stretched out, brushing her dark brown hair out of her equally dark brown eyes. She sat up, shoving the covers back and pulling herself out of the bed before wandering into the bathroom. She washed her face among other things before heading downstairs. Her mood immediately dropped as she heard the television, signalling that her eldest brother was still home.

"Clara." Rico greeted as he saw his sister emerge.

"Morning." Clara headed over to the fridge, pouring herself a glass of orange juice.

Rico patted the spot beside him. "Come here."

Clara frowned, not moving from where she was leaning against the kitchen bench. "Why?"

"Coz I said so." Rico shrugged. He was used to her doing what he wanted.

Clara shook her head, not in the mood for her brother's antics. She knew she had to tread carefully around him. He'd developed their fathers warped mental state, with having both schizophrenia and bipolar issues. "I don't want to."

Rico made his way over to her and Clara seemingly shrunk away from him. He was only ever like this when Oscar wasn't around, and she was hoping that he would come home from work soon. One more year and she'd be finished at college and be able to leave. Rico brought his hand up, hitting her hard across the face causing her head to snap to the side and for there to be an angry red mark there.

"Dumb slut." Rico growled, fisting a hand in her hair and turning her face to him.

Clara couldn't help the tears that welled in her eyes as she tried to struggle away from him. "I'm sorry."

Rico pulled her closer to him, pressing his lips to her neck. Clara knew he thought this normal in his warped mind, but she found it wrong, although she supposed it would've been worse had they shared a mother as well as a father. It was something Oscar and her had spoken about, deciding that their fathers mental state and Rico's mothers addiction to illicit substances led to one screwed up child.

Rico slapped her again as she continued to struggles, bringing a small cry from her. "Shut up!"

"Rico, let her go." Oscar growled as he walked into the kitchen, dumping his workbag.

Rico glared at the youngest sibling. "Stay out of this."

Oscar shook his head. "No. Let her go."

Rico threw her to the ground, rolling his eyes and scoffing as she crawled over to Oscar who helped her to her feet. "She's such a drama queen. Always looking for attention."

Oscar slammed his fist into Rico's nose, who staggered back before kicking him in the gut. Oscar staggered back, glancing at Clara when Rico went flying into the wall. Clara was shaking as she held her brother to the wall. She could feel the power surging through her like she had never felt before. She'd never been so angry in her life as she began to tear into his skin, causing him to scream in pain.

Oscar grabbed her shoulder, trying to shake her out of that state of mind. Clara seemingly ignored him as she ripped into Rico's throat, sending blood splattering on the wall and the tiled floors. She let go of him, watching as he slumped to the floor choking on his own blood. The next hours were a blur of colours and voice as Oscar pulled her from the house, shoved her in the car and began driving.

* * *

_Six months later_

Sam couldn't help but keep looking at the blonde guy who sat the bar, tapping his fingers and looking completely bored. Working at the Brass Bull could be pretty uneventful, so she usually found someone to watch. Nearly five months of working at the same place could do that to someone.

Of course she couldn't have stayed at home, not after Syd had died that way. She had just…run away. But it hadn't been the last time things had gone wrong. Sam found that when she told people to do things, they would. That sometimes when she was flirting with guys she got this sort of warm feeling, and they would suddenly get a bit more hot and heavy. She'd heard some women talking about it in whispers, about people having powers or things happen to them that couldn't be explained. There was a word for it: mutation.

After doing a bit of reading, something that high school Sam would have scoffed at, she found the answer. Her mutation lay in pheromone manipulation, meaning that if people were attracted to her, she could heighten or alter that attraction, using it to her advantage. She also was starting to wonder if she could make people see things, like illusions or something. It would explain how she had been thinking about bugs, and then Syd had stabbed himself in the eye.

"Hey, hun." Sam approached the cute blonde guy with a smile sweet as sugar. He was probably slightly older than her, and he returned the smile as she approached. _This one could easily be a victim._ "What can I get you?"

"Beer thanks."

She raised an eyebrow. "Any specific type?"

"Nope." The guy raked his hair back. "Surprise me."

Sam grabbed a Heineken, undoing the cap. Technically at eighteen, she was too young to be handling alcohol, but she had managed to convince the owner that she was nearly twenty-one. She handed the guy the beer and he pushed some money across the counter. As she counted it out, he took a sip of the drink and watched her. Sam looked up to see the blonde was eyeing her appreciatively.

"Something I can help you with, sugar?"

"Depends," the guy shrugged, "Is your name Samedi?"

Sam tapped her name badge. She often got stupid drunk questions about her name, and hated having to explain that her mother was half-French and thought it was a good idea to name her daughter 'Saturday' in French. Sydney had been named for the Australian city. Sam pushed her mind firmly away from her lost twin.

"Was your brother's name Sydney?" The guy asked, leaning across the bar.

"What's your name?" Sam asked a little suspiciously, frowning. She thought she'd run far enough to get away from being associated with her family. "How did you know my brother?"

"Alex Summers," he replied, "And no, I didn't. A friend told me about him."

Sam placed her elbows on the bar. To any observers, it would look like she was flirting with Alex. But her blue eyes glittered dangerously as she inspected him. Any mention of Sydney was unwelcome, and unwanted.

"You might want to be a little more specific."

"I know about your mutation," Alex stated, causing Sam to fall silent. He was the first person to ever use that word directly, and there was no doubt in her mind that he was telling the truth. "I know a place that can help you learn to control it."

Sam folded her arms over her chest. "You don't know anything about me."

He leaned back. "I know enough."

"I know enough about you to know I could use my mutation on you," Sam threatened. Alex wouldn't be aware that it was a threat she wouldn't carry through with, because she still hadn't fully learned to control her abilities. "But I won't."

"Because it scares you," he replied.

"That's not true." Sam bristled, because it was true. She was scared she would make someone do something horrible, like Syd had. Or that a guy would become completely obsessed with her. She reached out and pushed him back so that he fell off the bar stool. "Oh dear. You're drunk. I should have security see you out."

Sam watched as Alex clambered to his feet, scowling as he realised what she'd done. Sam folded her arms and smirked, satisfied.

"You don't know anything about my mutation, you stupid boy. If you did, you'd know you should be afraid of it, too."

Alex raised his eyebrows. "Why is that?"

"Huh. You obviously don't know anything about it then." Sam jerked her head towards the door, noticing security already on their way over. "Get out."

* * *

Clara let out a heavy sigh as she walked into the kitchen as the smell of smoke began to waft from it. She walked over to the oven, pulling out the burnt cake and frowning. She opened the window, grabbing a towel and fanning the smoke out of the room. She frowned when she heard a knock at the door, heading towards the front of the house.

"Are you sure about this?" Erik questioned as her and Charles stood at the front door.

"Trust me." Charles told him as the door swung open to reveal Clara, who was dressed in a plain black tank top and jeans with her dark hair pulled back. "Clara, is it?"

"Yes?" Clara questioned, uncomfortable with having two unfamiliar men on her doorstep.

"My name is Charles Xavier, and this is Erik Lehnsherr. May we come in?" Charles could feel the uneasiness rolling off her in waves, though he couldn't pinpoint why and didn't see the point in sifting through the young woman's mind.

Clara was still tense; she didn't like strangers. "Why are you here?"

"To speak to you. We know about your mutation." Charles explained, lowering his voice at the last part.

Clara stepped aside and let them both in before leading them towards the kitchen. "Did you want a drink?"

"Yes, please." Charles smiled while Erik shook his head, standing quietly in the corner of the room.

Clara got him a glass of water, handing it to him and sitting across him from "So. Why are you here?"

Charles sipped the water, watching her carefully. "We can offer you a place to learn how to control your mutation." He noticed her hesitation and smiled warmly at her. "It's your choice."

Clara nodded, thinking on it for a moment. She was unsure about it, having trusted people and being hurt in the past, but she supposed she would have to move on from it one day. "I'd like to.'

"Good. There are others there, people like us." Charles assured her, watching as she nodded again. He could almost hear her thoughts ticking away as she thought through everything. "So, you want to come?"

Clara nodded, getting to her feet. "Yes, I do."

"Good." Charles glanced at Erik who was watching them intently.

"I'll go get my things." Clara told them as she walked into her room, shoving the stuff she needed into bags.

"At least this one's agreeable." Erik commented, causing Charles to shake his head and get to his feet when Clara walked out to them with a bag. She nodded that she was ready, following them out to the car, glancing back at the house as they drove off. She glanced at her hands, hoping that this was the last time she'd have to run away from past.


	2. Tension

**Chapter Two: Tension**

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**A/N: Wow, the response to this has been great so far :D We really hope you're enjoying the story. Please leave a review and let us know what you think, it's always appreciated :)**

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Sam's next shift was just as eventful as the first, only this time, an older man accompanied the blonde boy. She frowned tersely as she watched them sit down. The man was dark-haired and appeared to be in his mid to late twenties, from what she could tell. He was short, perhaps only a few inches taller than her – and that was saying something, considering she was only 5'4.

She shifted across to the bar and immediately made to tell them to leave, mind working at inventing some excuse, but the dark-haired man raised his hand and Sam shut her mouth, wondering what he was going to say. She folded her arms over her chest, unimpressed.

"I know you're angry at Alex," Charles stated, causing the blonde boy to avert his eyes, "But it wasn't his decision to come here. I suggested it. My name is Charles Xavier and I'm a mutant, just like you. I can read minds. That's how I found you, how I found snatches of Sydney in your mind. I don't want you to be angry, but I understand you might be. All I want is to help you."

"Why would you want to help me?" Sam asked suspiciously. She knew about guys asking for 'help'. One time a guy had given her a lift home from work and expected sexual favours from it. Sam had stormed off angrily as he'd yelled curses after her, and she'd known ever since that people rarely did things unless they expected something in exchange.

"Because mutants are rare, and I think you need training to control your powers," Charles stated, causing Sam to shift her feet. He was right – although she could sort of control her mutation, sometimes it could get her in sticky situations. She managed to worm her way out, but she wanted to learn from the mistake that cost Syd's life. "I live in a mansion not too far from here. You can come and if you don't like it, you're more than welcome to leave. But I can teach you, Samedi."

She looked up. The temptation of being able to use her abilities without anyone getting hurt or angry was a strong one. Charles was softly-spoken and seemed like he had good intentions – from what Sam could tell, he was resistant to the pull of her mutation. It was younger men like Alex she tended to attract. However she nodded slowly, glancing around the bar.

"Let me finish my shift first. I'll need to go back to my apartment and pack up a few things. Then…I guess I'll give it a go."

* * *

Clara gnawed on her lip as she read over the pages of her book, tuning out her surroundings. She flipped a page, leaning back against the lounge. She had thought that being in a house with various other people would mean that she never got peace and quiet, but she supposed with the house being so big everyone gave everyone else space.

"How are you fitting in?" Charles sat beside her, his words bringing her out of her thoughts.

Clara shifted away from him out of natural reaction. "I'm doing okay."

"You don't have to be afraid of me." Charles assured her, having noticed how she was always moving away from people when they got close.

Clara nodded, her eyes not once straying from her book. "I know."

"At least the boys are occupied." Charles mused. They were usually either occupied by the gym, or Sam, although he put that down to the young mutant's mutation. They were currently occupied with the latter. "Did you want anything?"

Clara shook her head, finishing her apple. "No, I'm okay."

Charles nodded, watching as she chucked the apple core in the bin before returning from the kitchen, sitting back on the lounge and going back to reading her book. He had noticed that she was definitely the quietest person in the house and she was also rather reclusive. It made him want to find out why, but at the same time he didn't feel it right to invade her mind to find out.

He glanced over at the book in her hand. It was a thick volume and she was around halfway through. "What are you reading, Clara?"

"A textbook." She smiled, stumbling over a page and having to re-read it.

Charles raised an eyebrow, watching as he brow furrowed in concentration. He knew that she wasn't raised in an English speaking country; he could hear it in her slight accent that he believed was Spanish. However, he was surprised at how well she did speak English, leading him to believe she was probably a fast learner. "What about? Anything in particular?"

Clara glanced over at him. "Psychology."

"Do you read a lot?" He inquired, watching her closely.

That was how she had first learnt English, reading it. "I always have.'

"That's good. Too few people read." Charles admitted, finding it hard to find someone who had an appreciation of books these days.

Clara smiled, brushing her hair out of her face. "I'm guessing you read a lot."

"I definitely do." Charles chuckled. "You should talk to the others. You might make some friends."

Clara shrugged, she was used to being alone and not having very many friends. "I get along with Sam."

"That's a bit surprising." Charles had to admit they were rather different, although perhaps it was because there were few females in the house.

Clara raised an eyebrow, intrigued by his comment. "Why? Because I'm so quiet?"

Charles shook his head, that wasn't why is surprised him, it was more that Sam was a very open person and Clara was conservative. "Not really. More because Samedi is very...open about her femininity."

Clara nodded in understanding. She supposed there was a time where she wouldn't have associated with someone like Sam, but she was nice enough whenever Clara spoke to her. "Her mutation doesn't affect you, does it?"

"No. It's quite interesting, though. Her mutation relies on those around her. Which is why it affects Sean and Alex far more than it does me." Charles pointed out, as Alex and Sean were both close to Sam's age, therefore were still affected by their hormones.

"At least she can control hers." Clara pointed out, knowing that Sam, although she was still unsure of it at times, could usually control her mutation.

Charles raised an eyebrow. He was under the impression that Clara was able to control her mutation. "You can't control yours?"

Clara shook her head. "Only my psychometry."

"What other abilities do you have?" Charles inquired, having never found a mutant with more than one solid mutation before. It interested him.

"Telekinesis and precognition." Clara explained. Here telekinesis was unpredictable and her precognition gave her severe nightmares. Charles frowned as she hugged her knees to her chest, resting her chin on her knees.

"Are you alright?" Charles questioned.

Clara nodded. "Yeah, just thinking."

"About?" He pressed, wondering if there was an underlying issue behind how she was half of the time.

"My family." Clara sighed, running a hand through her hair.

Charles could feel sadness emanating off her, just looking at her he could tell her family's death impacted her greatly, even after it having happened years ago. Although, he knew her brother's recent death had been causing her nightmares. "Do you miss them?"

"Sometimes." Clara admitted, but other times she was glad that they were out of her life in a way.

Charles watched her intently. He didn't know why, but she interested him. "And other times?"

"I'm happy they're dead." Clara muttered, staring across the room at the wall.

* * *

Sam hummed as she stood in Charles's kitchen making a pot of tea. She had only been at the mansion overnight, but already things were really good – almost too good to be true. She had her own room that she didn't need to share with a messy roommate. There was plenty of room for her clothes and other things. She had been introduced to several other young mutants – many of who were barely older than her.

"Hey, Alex." Sam smiled as Alex wandered in and sat down at the kitchen table. She had been hostile towards him when they'd first met, but now seeing that Charles had been the one to suggest he came to find her, she'd mellowed a bit. "You want a tea?"

"Sure." Alex examined the blonde girl, taking in the tank top and shorts.

"Do you have sugar?" Sam asked, stirring the tea as Alex nodded. "How many spoons?"

"One, thanks." Alex replied. He glanced at Sean Cassidy, who was sitting beside him and appeared to be even more affected by Sam's mutation than him. Sean was staring openly at the blonde girl. Alex leaned against the bench and watched her too, as though being made tea was some kind of fascinating occurrence.

"You okay?" Sam raised her eyebrows, noticing that Alex was looking at her intently. She handed him his tea. "You're staring."

"Does that annoy you?" Alex asked. He wasn't entirely sure whether Sam meant to use her mutation – Charles had called it a 'charm', a phrase that Sam had been happy enough to adopt. He said it was always there, but could be turned up or down like the volume on a television, and he wasn't sure whether Sam knew how to work those changes in her mutation just yet.

"No. I think it's cute." Sam licked the sugar off the spoon.

"Do I get a tea?" Sean piped up, clearly eager to get some of Sam's attention.

She raised her eyebrows. "How many sugars?"

Sean winked. "None, you're sweet enough."

Alex rolled his eyes at Sean's blatant flirtation, but Sam just laughed and went about making him a tea. It had been ages since she'd actually had anything nice – she'd been living on a budget with her roommate and hadn't been able to afford great-tasting tea. But Charles had such a massive range that Sam had practically jumped for joy when she'd been told that she could help herself.

"There you go." Sam walked out of the kitchen and handed Sean his tea. Alex stretched himself out, smirking as he noticed Sam examining him appreciatively. She quirked an eyebrow at noticing his grin.

"Something amusing?"

"You find me attractive?" Alex asked boldly, setting his empty tea cup on the table.

"Maybe." Sam picked up her own cup of tea and sat down in his lap, although there were plenty of other chairs. She leaned back and took a sip of her tea, and Alex felt the inexplicable urge to put his hands on her waist. Sam giggled as he did so, taking another sip of her tea.

"So, you going to hit the gym today?" Alex asked conversationally, keeping his hands around Sam's waist.

"Hmm." Sam hadn't been aware that there even was a gym. "I might. Do you work out?"

"Yeah. Can't you tell?" Alex found himself more bold than he normally was. Straight out of solitary he had found it difficult to socialise with others, but he found talking to Sam was surprisingly easy.

"Have you got muscles?" Sam turned in his lap to face him. "Show me."

Alex flexed his arm, grinning when Sam reached out to touch his bicep. He couldn't help but shiver slightly at the soft touch of her hand.

"Do you have abs?" Sam asked, tilting her head to the side and smiling flirtatiously when Alex nodded. "You'll have to show me later."

"I'll show you mine!" Sean exclaimed, clearly determined to have some input in the conversation. Alex scoffed and glanced over at him. If Sean was attempting to compete, it wasn't even worth it.

"Like you have any."

Sam shrugged her slender shoulders. "Well, safe to say I don't have muscles."

"But you have boobs," Sean pointed out, not exactly a fact that had gone unnoticed by either of the teenage boys.

"Nice ones too," Alex added.

Sam rolled her eyes. "Well spotted."

* * *

Clara hauled herself up the climbing wall for what felt like the hundredth time. She enjoyed it though, the mix of strength and cardio. She could feel her heart hammering in her chest and the somewhat comforting burn from her muscles. She glanced over at Erik as he walked over to one of the running machines, getting on and setting it to a brisk walk.

She stretched her arms and legs out before scaling the wall again, blowing her hair out of her face as she did. Erik was watching her move up the wall, admitting to himself that she was quite fit, and attractive. When she was about halfway up the wall Clara felt her foot slip before she crashed to the ground, the force of the landing pushing the air from her lungs, leaving her struggling to breathe on the ground for a moment.

Erik stopped the running machine, getting off and walking over to the young woman who was not a coughing mess. "Clara? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm good." Clara began to push herself to her feet, pulling away after Erik grabbed her arm to help her up.

Erik frowned when she pulled away, seeing the tension appear in her body. "Clara?"

Clara shook her head, not wanting to think of what had happened in the past as it ran through her head. "Don't. Just stay away from me."

"I'm sorry, did I do something wrong?" Erik was confused at her reaction.

"No." Clara told him, rubbing her arms. "I should go."

Erik sighed heavily, raking a hand through his hair. "Clara, wait. What's wrong?"

"Its nothing." Clara assured him.

"It's not nothing." Erik countered, moving between her and the door.

Clara clenched her jaw, trying to move around him, but Erik succeeded in continuing to block her exit. "Why do you want to know?"

"Because I'm concerned." Erik told her, having seen how she flinched when anyone, with the exception of Sam, touched her or got to close.

Clara pushed her hair out of her face. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine."

"No you aren't. I heard about your nightmare the other night." Erik told her. He was in the room next to hers and often heard her crying out in her sleep or waking up and sobbing until she fell back asleep. At first he thought it was her precognition, but now he felt as though it was something else.

Clara frowned. She didn't like to show weakness, especially not with people she barely knew. "What about it?"

"Something's scaring you." Erik frowned. He could tell that her nightmares were caused from something stressful having happened.

Clara shrugged, wanting to get off his topic of conversation. "Its nothing anyone can help me with."

Erik sighed heavily. "I'm sure someone can."

"Maybe one day." Clara told him, stepping around him.

"Talking about it is the first step, you know." Erik pointed out to her as she walked out of the room.

* * *

"Hey, Alex." Sam walked into the lounge to see that Alex was already sprawled on a couch – but when he looked up, he didn't exactly look pleased to see her. He shifted into a sitting position as though wary.

"Can we talk?"

Sam smiled. "Sure, honey."

Alex's eyes narrowed. "Don't."

"What's wrong?" Sam reached out to touch his arm, but Alex pulled away from her as though her touch hurt him. She blinked in confusion at the hostile expression that had come over his face.

"I'm sick of you using your mutation on me."

"What do you mean?" Sam frowned. Sometimes it wasn't something she could help. Sure, she did flirt with Alex from time to time, but she didn't seek to actively use her mutation to seduce him. It still wasn't something she was entirely confident in using, with grasping the limits of her mutation still being out of her depth. She got this kind of warm, fuzzy feeling when it escalated, but that was the only way she could think to describe it. It wasn't just based on her, but also how much the other person was attracted to her.

"You know exactly what I mean. I don't like it."

"I don't know what you mean." Sam tilted her head to the side, but Alex looked incredibly fed up, pushing himself to his feet.

"Whatever, Sam."

"Alex…" Sam caught his arm to stop him, but again he wrenched away from her, blue eyes angry.

"Don't touch me."

She examined him critically. "What are you so afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid!" Alex exclaimed, his tone becoming angry, "I'm sick of you toying with me!"

"Toying with you?" Sam eyebrows furrowed. "I've barely touched you. How am I toying with you?"

"Your mutation," Alex spat the word like it was poisonous, and Sam visibly flinched. She thought she was meant to be accepted here. But it seemed like wherever she went, the unpredictable nature of her mutation and the consequences it could have meant that she would be shunned.

"It's not like I've kissed you or anything," Sam said defensively.

"No, but I'm sick of you making me run around drooling over you when I don't even like you," Alex retaliated. Sam wouldn't admit that his words stung. She could understand his point, but felt he didn't need to be quite so harsh towards her.

"You obviously do," she sneered, knowing her mutation wouldn't be working on him if he didn't want her at all.

"Whatever." Alex stalked out, but Sam followed, stepping in front of him to block his path. Why couldn't he just talk about this? His mutation wasn't exactly under control from what she'd heard, so why couldn't he get why although she flirted, she wasn't trying to make him become obsessed with her?

"Can't you just talk to me? I'm not moving. And I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt me."

Alex stepped forward and shoved Sam aside, causing her to stumble. She watched him go, completely shocked. Her mutation had never had that kind of impact on someone before, and she didn't understand why he was reacting so negatively.


	3. Conflict

**Chapter Three: Conflict**

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**A/N: Thanks for the reviews, follows and favourites! This will mostly follow along the line of X-Men: First Class, but there will be quite a few changes along the way ;)**

* * *

Sam walked into the library quietly, noticing that Charles was reading a book. She had been hoping to see him, troubled by the extremely negative reaction Alex had had to her mutation. She clasped her hands in front of her, taking a deep breath. It was a new start for her and she wanted to do it right, but so far she felt that she wasn't doing a good job.

"Charles? I wanted to talk to you. About my mutation."

Charles looked up, marking a page in his book before setting it down. He gestured to the chair beside his.

"Please, sit." He watched as Sam hesitantly took a seat. "What is it you wanted to talk about?"

"Alex hates me because he thinks I'm deliberately using my mutation on him," Sam muttered, playing with her hands. She had been involved in a few ugly situations because of her mutation. Nothing that majorly affected her or stopped her from wanting to use it, but she had been hoping to get along with others of her kind. Alex had shown her that sometimes, you just weren't accepted.

"You are yet to learn to control it," Charles admitted, "I don't think it's just your mutation that's making him attracted to you. He likes you and uses your mutation as a way to deny it."

"Likes me?" Sam's little nose screwed up in confusion. "He barely knows me."

"But he does like you," Charles insisted. He knew Alex better than Sam did, and knew that while her mutation would definitely be a factor, the blonde boy was intrigued by her. "Your mutation can manipulate a person but only to a certain degree, and they need to be attracted to you."

"Which is why it doesn't affect people like you or Erik," Sam nodded, understanding that much. There were always people that the pheromone manipulation part of her mutation didn't affect. "I get the attraction…but I don't think he has any feelings for me. He only met me recently."

Charles raised his eyebrows. "Are you sure?"

"I don't know what to do." Sam raked her hands through her hair, feeling defeated. "It's not like I'm not used to guys wanting me, but…none of them ever got angry at me for it. I didn't mean to make him angry."

"Perhaps you should talk to him," Charles suggested. Admittedly, when he had opened up his home to mutants, he hadn't taken into account the fact that he would have to deal with hormonal teenagers.

Sam licked her dry lips. "How can I control it?"

"You'll have to concentrate and try to feel when it has an effect on the boys," Charles instructed her, offering her a smile despite her frustrated expression. "You'll learn to control it."

"I hope so," Sam grumbled.

* * *

Clara sat outside, enjoying the heat of the sun. It was a pleasant day and she was enjoying being alone while reading one of the many books that she had brought to the mansion. While she missed her small house, she also enjoyed knowing that there were other people in the house and that she wasn't completely alone, even though she enjoyed her own company more than that of other peoples.

She glanced over at the back door as she heard it open; watching as Alex walked out of the kitchen, drink in hand, in his gym gear. "Hey."

Alex glanced at her and she could see that he was tense. "Hi."

Clara frowned, closing her book and angling her body towards Alex. "You okay?"

"Not really." He shook his head, finishing his drink before walking over and sitting on the grass beside her.

"What's up?" She questioned as she crossed her legs, putting her book down beside her, tilting her head to the side slightly.

He sighed heavily, raking a hand through his sandy blonde hair. "Sam."

Clara raised an eyebrow. She knew the two had become rather close and were often found together, but she didn't know that there was tension between them, making her curious as to what had happened. "Oh?"

"She's just one of those girls who knows she's pretty and uses it." Alex sighed heavily, picking at the grass and chucking it across the lawn.

"How so?" Clara asked, trying to dig into what had occurred between the two of them.

"She makes me want her." Alex spat out, alerting Clara that he believed that Sam had been using her mutation on him to make him feel the things he was feeling for her.

"I think there's more to it than that. I think you want her as much as her mutation makes you want her." She pointed out, knowing that Sam's mutation only affected someone if they were attracted to her to begin with.

Alex groaned, raking his hands down his face. "She frustrates me at times."

"I can tell." She pointed out, having been listening to the conversation they were having and watching Alex's growing frustration as they spoke about Sam. "Talk to her."

"What good would that do?" Alex threw his hands up in frustration. Last time he had spoken to her they had ended up arguing over anything and everything.

Clara shrugged, walking back into the kitchen. "More than sitting around and doing nothing will."

"What am I meant to say?" Alex questioned, following Clara into the kitchen.

Clara sighed heavily, not wanting to give Alex instructions on everything. "Just talk to her. Start by saying sorry for getting so angry."

Alex groaned before finally giving into her advice, guessing no more harm could really be done. "Alright."

* * *

Sam set the needle down carefully on the Elvis Presley, grinning when the music started to play. She was a huge Elvis fan and had owned all of his records – before she'd caused Syd to kill himself, of course. She glanced at Alex, who was lounging on the couch and sipping a beer. Sam cocked an eyebrow.

"You're too young to be drinking."

Alex shrugged and Sam immediately turned her attention and started dancing around to Hound Dog, which was probably her favourite Elvis song of all. She spun in circles and laughed when she noticed that Alex was watching her and shaking his head slowly.

"What? Come dance. It'll be fun."

Alex didn't look impressed. "No thanks."

"Can I have some beer?" Sam asked, changing tactic completely. Alex reached out to hand over the beer and she took it, grabbing his wrist and tugging him to his feet. He looked a bit surprised at the quick motion, and Sam laughed at his expression, using the hand she was holding to twirl herself. He sighed heavily and she examined him with raised eyebrows.

"Come on, aren't you having fun?"

"No," Alex replied flatly. "I hate dancing."

"What don't you hate?" Sam rolled her eyes, releasing his hand and finishing off his beer. She noticed his scowl and wondered if there was anything that made the boy happy. "What? Seriously. I get you've been in solitary, but you have zero social skills. Why are you such a dick?"

"I just don't want to dance," Alex retorted irritably, causing Sam to frown at his tone. "You could've left me alone."

She bit her lip. "I was trying to be friendly."

"Maybe you should listen to what people want rather than assuming," Alex shot at her, watching as she stared at her hands, obviously affected by his words. He walked out of the lounge, headed down for the gym, but Sam followed him.

"Why do you hate me so much?"

"I don't hate you," Alex ground out. He just wasn't used to girls following him around and being a general pain in the ass, and he wasn't sure what to make of it.

"I just wanted to have some fun," Sam said defensively. She hadn't been at all flirtatious with Alex, she had just been mucking around. So what was his problem now? She was starting to think she couldn't do anything without him getting pissed off about.

"Then have some fun by yourself," Alex retorted.

She folded her arms over her chest. "Why don't you want to?"

"Just back off, jeez," Alex snapped at her, his patience with her snapping, "I want to go do weights. By myself. In the gym."

The blonde girl looked hurt by his tone, and Alex realised that he'd upset her without intending to. He raked a hand through his hair, watching as Sam wrapped her arms around herself.

"I'm sorry. I just…I just thought I'd be able to make friends here."

Alex sighed heavily, feeling a bit guilty for losing his temper with her. "I'm sure you had plenty of friends."

"You should go work out." Bitterness tainted Sam's voice. "I'm sure you don't need some little slut distracting you all the time."

"You aren't a slut," Alex stated. Sure, he tired of her mutation making him want her, but he was beginning to think that it was unintentional.

Sam tilted her head to the side. "Well then why do you make me feel like one?"

Alex was puzzled by that. "How do I?"

"Forget it." Sam shook her head. How was she supposed to explain to Alex that his constant disdain towards her made her feel like she had done something wrong, like she was something dirty he didn't want to touch? "You want me to leave you alone, okay."

* * *

Clara stretched as she put her book down, letting out a loud yawn. She had spent most of the day soaking up the sun and reading. She often found herself doing this, though whether it was to avoid other people within the mansion she didn't know. It was just something about the open space outside that she found appealing, especially when it gave her to the chance to spend some time cooking herself in the sun.

She glanced over at Erik as she saw him walk outside with a plate of food, sitting down beside her on the grass and beginning to eat his lunch. Clara sat up from her spot before rolling over onto her stomach, flipping a page in her book, and yawning again.

"Tired?" Erik glanced at her as she shut her book.

Clara nodded, raking her hair back. "Yeah. A little."

"You should sleep." Erik pointed out as he finished his lunch.

He glanced down at her as she raised an eyebrow. "Its the middle of the day."

"So?" He questioned, thinking her sleeping would be the most logical option to combat that she was tired.

She shook her head. "It'd be weird and I'd be up all night."

"Well, if you're tired..." He trailed off before being cut off by her.

"I'm okay."

"Alright." Erik watched as she got to her feet, wandering into the kitchen.

He stayed sitting for a moment before pushing himself to his feet and following her into the kitchen. He dumped his plate in the sink before running some hot water and beginning to wash up the dirty dishes that had accumulated from everyone's breakfast that morning. Clara glanced at him from where she leant against the bench, sipping a glass of water.

"How are you finding it here?" She asked as she finished her drink, placing the glass in the water.

"I like it." He answered as he finished washing up, draining the water from the sink.

"That's good." Clara smiled, sitting up on the bench as Erik sat down in one of the chairs at the kitchen table.

"And you? You keep to yourself a lot." He had observed that she didn't interact with a lot of people, as if she preferred to be alone.

She shrugged, glancing around the place. She liked it here, it was the closest thing that she'd had to a home since the incident with her brother. "I just like being alone. I do like it here though."

"You talk to Sam, but that's about it." He stated, also finding that she seemed to avoid the majority of males in the house, only talking to Sam and occasionally to Raven.

"I'm talking to you." Clara pointed out, grinning.

"That's true." Erik chuckled, shaking his head at her poor attempt at a joke. "Do you use your mutation a lot?"

Clara shook her head, she wasn't comfortable with using her mutation at times. "Not really. My precognition is the only one I really use, and that's unintentional."

"How do you get along with Charles?" He asked, wanting to gain a better understanding of how she felt in the mansion.

Clara nodded in answer. "We get along fairly well."

"That's good. He seems like a good person." Erik crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair.

"He is." Clara smiled, nodding her head in agreement.


	4. Attraction (M)

**Chapter Four: Attraction**

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**A/N: Thanks to everyone who has been following this story so far :) The rating has gone up to M because of a sex scene in this chapter ;) Let us know what you think! :D**

* * *

"I'm gonna call you Barbie," Sean declared as a small group of them sat in the games room with a few drinks, pointing at Sam. The blonde wasn't entirely surprised – it was a common nickname associated with her, although she despised it. Sam took a sip from the bottle of American Honey she'd managed to get her hands on. It was a surprise that Clara had joined them, though. She was a few years older than the teenagers, and incredibly quiet.

"Why?" Sam frowned at Sean's words.

"You look like one," Alex stated, his words slightly slurred as he spoke over his fifth beer.

Sean ticked off on his fingers. "Blonde hair, thin, big boobs…"

Sam looked at her chest, then at Sean. "I don't have big boobs."

"They're pretty big," Alex drawled, eyes drifting to Sam's considerable cleavage. She noticed his gaze and folded her arms over her chest.

"Well, in comparison with the rest of you," Sean relented, taking a sip of his own beer. "So, you're Barbie."

"We should play a game," Alex declared, setting his empty bottle down with a clink. He glanced around at the others. Hank and Clara were pretty silent, and he wasn't sure that they'd join in. "Truth or Dare?"

Sean snickered, eyes flicking back to Sam. "Alex wants to be dared to touch your boobs."

Sam smacked him around the head. "You're already drunk."

"It'll be fun." Alex grinned at the blonde, who was a little wary of his change in attitude. Only a few days before, Alex had been hostile towards her, but now under the influence of alcohol he was a lot more laidback, and she was confused.

"Okay, Alex. Truth or dare."

"Dare," Alex said boldly, which didn't surprise her. He was the sort of guy always looking to prove himself. Just like he was constantly trying to prove that he wasn't interested in her, that it was only her mutation that made him want her.

"Touch Sean's boobs," Sam stated, causing a look of confusion to come across the freckled boy's face.

"I don't have any…"

"Make do," Sam drawled, leaning back and watching as Alex pretended to fondle Sean's chest. They were being ridiculous, but they were young and pretty drunk. Sam laughed and took another swig of American Honey.

"Sean." Alex turned his attention on his friend. "Truth or dare?"

Sean grinned. "Truth."

"Ever had sex before?" Alex asked, and Sam was incredibly grateful that he wasn't asking her the same question. That always led to the next question of how many guys, and everyone acted like she seemed like the kind of girl who spread her legs for anyone.

"Uh…" Sean flushed and scratched at his head. "No."

"Bet Mr Solitary Confinement hasn't either, though," Sam smirked and rolled onto her stomach, noticing how embarrassed Sean was about admitting the truth and deciding to turn the tables on Alex.

"I have," Alex raised his eyebrows, "I wasn't always in Solitary. I was fifteen when I first had sex."

"Huh, that's a bit young, I guess," Sam said flippantly, although in truth, she had been younger. It had been stupid and she had been a fool. She didn't like to think about when she'd lost her virginity.

"How old were you the first time you had sex?" Sean asked of Clara, who looked a bit taken aback at being addressed.

"Sixteen."

Sean grinned. "Bet Sam was younger."

"Who says I'm not an innocent virgin?" Sam questioned, slightly offended that he seemed to automatically assume she'd had sex. Okay so she had, but that didn't mean it was okay for him to think that.

Alex burst out laughing. "As if."

"Twelve?" Sean guessed with a smirk, causing Sam's blue eyes to narrow.

"Fuck off."

Alex gave it a shot. "Sixteen?"

"Nope." Sam grabbed his beer and took a swig, grateful when Clara decided that it was her turn for a dare. As much as Sam liked being centre of attention sometimes, she wasn't exactly keen on discussing the topic of her sex history.

"I dare you to give Sean a lap dance," Clara stated, causing Sean to pump his fist in the air.

"Hell yes! I'm liking this."

Alex chuckled, watching as Sam proceeded to give Sean a lap dance, making it as non sexual as possible. "You're mean, Clara."

Clara grinned, sipping the drink in her hand. "Sometimes."

"I owe you one, Clara." Sean winked at her.

Sam crawled out of his lap before flopping back on the ground, grabbing her drink. "Fourteen."

Sean frowned, looking over at her in confusion. "What?"

"Fourteen when she first had sex." Clara clarified for him, pushing herself to her feet as her leg began to go numb from how she was sitting.

Sam cleared her throat before finishing her drink. "And a half."

"Halves don't count." Sean told her, leaning back.

Sam rolled her eyes, getting up to get a new drink. "Whatever, it's my turn. I choose Alex." "Truth." Alex picked, sensing it was safer to choose truth rather than dare considering the people he was playing the game with.

"If you had to pick one of the seven sins, which would apply to you?" Sam grinned at him.

Alex frowned, thinking on it for a moment. He was unsure completely and spoke out loud the first one he thought of. "Wrath.'

"Envy for me." Sean sated as he gulped down more beer.

Clara stretched out before flopping back down, resting her head on her arms. "Sloth for me. I'm lazy."

Sam kicked up her legs and examined her finger nails. "I don't know if I'd be Lust, or Pride..."

Alex looked over at Sean. "Sean, truth or dare?"

Dare." Sean grinned, with Alex already knowing in his mind that Sean would immediately regret choosing dare.

"Go find Erik and kiss him." Alex smirked, knowing that getting the older and grumpier member of their group involved would result in amusement.

Sean groaned, wishing at times that he was telepathic. "I don't have a death wish."

"Go on." Alex waved him off, watching as he got to his feet and scampered out.

Sam yawned, knowing it would take a while for Sean to complete his dare. "Now what?"

Alex shrugged, sipping his beer. "We wait for the screaming."

Clara shook her head. "That's mean, Alex."

"Just wait." Alex grinned back as they heard the distinct sound of yelling.

"SEAN!"

* * *

Alex watched as Sean ran back into the room, his face nearly matching the colour of his hair. "How was it?"

"I nearly got hit!" Sean exclaimed, hiding behind the others as Erik stormed in behind him, clearly angered about being disturbed in such a manner.

Clara glanced over at Erik, stretching her legs out. "Don't kill the kid, it was a dare."

"You're playing Truth or Dare?" Erik raised an eyebrow, watching as she got to her feet. "I'm surprised everyone has their clothes on..."

Clara rolled her eyes, walking over and pouring herself another coke. "Want one, Erik?"

"Sure." Erik nodded as he followed her out of the room and down to the kitchen. He smiled as he took the beer from her, opening it and watching as she sipped her coke. "No alcohol for you?"

Clara shook her head. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had any alcohol other than the occasional wine. She wasn't a drinker. "I don't touch the stuff usually. Maybe once in a while I'll drink."

"Any reason why not?" Erik asked as he sat down at the kitchen table.

Clara shrugged, sitting up on the kitchen bench. "My brother mainly."

"Was he a big drinker?" Erik watched her as she sipped at her drink.

"And he wasn't nice when he drank." She admitted. She was unused to speaking about her family. It was a sore topic for her.

"How so?" He leaned back in his chair, sipping his beer. He could tell she was uncomfortable, but she continued to answer the questions he asked her.

She slipped off of the bench, moving to sit in the chair across from him, having finished her drink. "He was an angry drunk. Not that it matters, he isn't around anymore."

* * *

"Hey, Alex?" Sam addressed the blonde boy. "How many girls have you slept with?"

"Two," Alex said with a shrug of his shoulders.

Sam raised her eyebrows. Alex was a dick, but he was still attractive. She thought that he would've slept with more girls, but apparently not. Still, he had been in solitary a good few years though.

"I thought you'd have slept with more," Sam said casually, before frowning. "What made you think I wasn't a virgin?"

"How you act." Alex shrugged his shoulders. He didn't mean to make assumptions, but girls like Sam, who were pretty and flirty, were almost always not virgins. "You're very open about sex."

"How long's it been for you?" Sam grinned deviously. "A few years if you've been in solitary, right?"

"Yeah." Alex raked a hand through his hair. In honesty, he hadn't thought a lot about getting laid since he'd gotten out. When Charles and Erik had picked him up, the first thing on his mind was learning how to control his mutation. "You?"

Sam thought about it. "Five…no, six months." She smirked at him. "So that's why you're so high-strung."

She shifted to sit in his lap as he stretched out, very aware of his interest in her. He might try and deny it, but Charles was right. Alex's feelings were based on his own emotions, not her mutation. Alex slid an arm around her waist, pulling her closer against him. He turned her in his lap and, to Sam's surprise, kissed her.

"Is this going to descend into sex?" Sean asked suspiciously, causing Sam to flip her middle finger at him.

Alex grabbed her by the hips and pulled her closer against him, his lips trailing down her neck. Hank had long since left the room, and Sean got to his feet as a gasp passed through Sam's lips.

"Okay, leaving…"

Alex barely even paid attention to his friend walking out, too busy nibbling at the tender skin of Sam's neck. She couldn't quite restrain a moan. It had been a while, and Alex was better than she'd expected.

"Tease," she accused.

Alex kissed her again, and Sam saw he wasn't going to be pushing her away and getting annoyed at her anytime soon. This wasn't just her mutation – he wanted her of his own accord too. Sam ran her hands down his chest, grinding herself against his erection and eliciting a low groan from him. Alex was all too quick to yank off her shirt and bra, causing Sam to raise her eyebrows as he groped at her breasts.

"Really?"

Any further words were lost as Alex lowered his head to suck at her nipple. She arched her back and moaned again, causing Alex to draw back and smirk, pleased at the reaction he'd caused. Sam ran her hands under his shirt and he took it off, leaving her to marvel at his well-muscled physique. She kissed down his chest and he groaned.

"You seriously want to do this?" Sam drew back and examined him critically. "Have sex in the games room?"

"Don't you?" Alex's eyes were lustful, and Sam realised that he really did want this, want her. She wanted it too – but she had been scared at first that things would heat up and he would act like it was her fault.

"You got a condom?" Sam asked a little breathlessly. She watched as he drew one out of his pocket, and wondered if he'd planned this. "Alright then."

She unzipped his pants and Alex pushed her onto her back, tugging her shorts off and sliding a condom on. Sam ran her hands down his back as he positioned himself over her, pushing into her and making her moan in pleasure.

Alex gripped her hips and set a hard, fast pace as Sam's legs wrapped automatically around his waist. She felt so good, and he knew he had made the right move choosing to screw her instead of fighting with her. Sam's head fall back, blonde hair splaying around her, as she moaned in pleasure, digging her nails into Alex's shoulders. He smirked confidently as he saw that he was pleasing her.

Sam bucked her hips against him and Alex pushed her legs further apart and thrust deeper as she continued to moan. She clawed at his back, clearly a nails girl, not that Alex minded. He groaned loudly, knowing he was going to have scratches on his back tomorrow, and questions about the scratches. He started to lose control as Sam nipped lightly at his neck with her teeth, his thrusts becoming erratic.

Sam's moans rose into cries of pleasure at Alex's hard thrusts, fisting her hands tightly in his hair as she reached her climax. Alex grunted as he reached his, burying his face in her shoulder momentarily before taking a deep breath and rolling off her. Sam glanced at him, picking up her undies and tugging them back on.

"How long have you wanted to screw me?"

Alex shrugged. Truth be told, he had wanted to know what it would be like to kiss her and touch her for a little while now. Sex was obviously just the next step. She didn't appear pleased by his answer, frowning as she tugged her clothes back on.

"What kind of answer's that?" When he didn't reply, she sighed in annoyance and pushed herself to her feet. She felt used, but it wasn't the first time. She'd lost her virginity to one of her brother's dumb friends who had bet money that he could get in her pants. "Well, it was fun and all."

"Whatever, Sam." Alex stretched out, pulling his pants back up.

"What are you so pissed about?" Sam demanded, planting her hands on her hips. "You got what you wanted."

"Actually, I didn't." It suddenly struck Alex that while Sam was a pretty girl, she was the sort of girl that guys screwed and then forgot about. It seemed like she was used to being around just to please guys, rather than having one that actually took her seriously. "I thought you might want to date."

"Seriously?" Sam didn't look at all convinced. "The other day you said you were sick of me making you drool over me when you didn't even like me."

"I lied," Alex said as though it was obvious. It was clear to everyone in the mansion that he had a thing for Sam. He just didn't know how to handle it – he had been in solitary for a few years and he had been angry when he thought her mutation might be making him desire her. "I like you."

"I don't know, Alex," Sam raked a hand uncertainly through her hair. Yes, she did think Alex was cute and the sex had been great. But why would he want to date her? She hadn't even had a proper boyfriend before. What made him genuinely interested? "I think this is the sex talking. I'm gonna go to bed."

She walked out before Alex could say anything else. He rested his head on his knees and groaned, contemplating his complicated feelings for Sam. Had he just wanted to have sex with her? Or was he actually interested in her on a deeper level? Alex didn't believe that Sam was the shallow blonde she often tried to be. There was more to her than that, he'd seen it.


	5. Catalyst

**Chapter Five: Catalyst**

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**A/N: So, not too many reviews for last chapter. Let us know what you think - if you don't like it, tell us why.**

**In this chapter, a character comes in who is going to be stirring some things up ;)**

**Don't forget to review!**

* * *

Sam was in the kitchen flipping pancakes the next morning, humming away like nothing had ever happened between her and Alex. He walked in, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and wondering how many times she had just shrugged and gotten over things, rather than taking time to reflect on them. Maybe he'd just had a lot of time for reflection in solitary.

"Do you want one?" Sam asked, leaning across the counter when Alex nodded and sat down. "We need to talk about last night. What did it mean to you, now that you've thought over it?"

"You know what it meant to me," Alex stated. His position on the matter hadn't changed. He'd still like to date Sam. But he just wasn't sure how she felt about him. Had it really just been sex to her?

"So you still want to date?" Sam raised her eyebrows, looking surprised. Alex didn't get why she hadn't dated – she was definitely pretty enough, but maybe it was more than that. Sam seemed confident in herself, but considering her mutation, he wondered if she actually trusted guys to do anything more than screw her.

"Yeah." Alex shrugged his shoulders, pouring maple syrup over his pancakes as Sam pushed the plate across to him. "I like you."

"Yeah, but why?" Sam's eyebrows furrowed into a frown. "No one ever wants to date me. Is there a reason?"

"I just do, okay?" Alex said, not really getting what Sam wanted from him. He'd said he liked her and wanted to date her. How was he meant to prove himself to her? She wanted him suspiciously over the pancakes.

"I'm not dating you because 'you just do'."

Alex raked a hand through his hair in frustration. "How am I meant to explain why I like you?"

"I don't know." Sam licked batter off her fingers. "I thought maybe you'd attempt to. I thought you saw me as a skank."

"No." Alex thought that Sam was too afraid to let people get too close to her, especially what had happened with her brother. She played the ditzy blonde, but he knew there was more to her than that. "Are you willing to give it a try?"

Sam gave him a small smile. "Okay."

"What are you two talking about?" Erik entered the kitchen along with Clara, raising his eyebrows at the two teenagers. Sam put the pan in the sink as Alex pushed himself to his feet.

"We're dating."

"Finally," Clara sounded almost relieved.

"I can practically feel the sexual tension," Erik said bluntly, causing Sam to roll her eyes. Great, now it looked like the rest of the mansion was going to find out about her and Alex when they were barely even a thing.

"I might go down to the gym," she said, casting a glance at Alex and knowing that he would follow her out.

Clara and Erik watched them walk out of the room, with Erik voicing his opinions first, naturally. "Alex and Samedi dating..."

"It was bound to happen." Clara shrugged. She was happy for the two. It was cute to see relationships such as theirs forming within the mansion.

"I'm just wondering if it's because he likes her, or because of her mutation?" Erik sighed, hoping that Sam wasn't going to be disappointed if her mutation _was_ the reason that Alex was dating her in the first place.

Clara shook her head. She thought that Alex honestly liked Sam, but only time would tell. "I think he likes her."

* * *

Clara pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear as she read over the menu in front of her. She found something she liked before placing it on the table, glancing over at Erik who was still reading over his. "See anything that you like?"

"Hmm. Maybe a pasta. What about you?" Erik questioned, having settled on the spaghetti.

"Pasta as well." Clara smiled, watching as Erik proceeded to place the orders with the waiter after she told him that she wanted the chicken pesto pasta. "So, that coin in your pocket. Where'd you get it?"

Erik glanced at her. She definitely was observant, perhaps that's why she was quiet most of the time. "I've had it for a long time now."

"May I see it?" Clara asked, holding her hand out as Erik pulled it from his pocket.

"I got it when I was in a concentration camp." He explained to her as she examined it.

It was still in good condition, despite being quite old. Images moved in her mind as she held the coin in her hand. There was a woman, followed by a loud gunshot and the face of a man whose name was often mentioned. The coin seemed heavier in her hand as she watched its history play out. "Your mother was killed there. By Shaw."

"Yes." Erik watched her carefully, having never seen her mutation in motion before.

"And he saw the true power of your mutation afterwards. That's why you think your abilities are triggered by anger." Clara spoke more to herself than him as she handed the coin back to him.

Erik nodded, raking a hand through his hair. "It seems that's the only time they show up."

Clara glanced at the waiter as they brought their food over. She picked up her fork and began to eat slowly. It was foreign to her, the notion of dating. She had never been on a proper date before and was unsure of how to act or what to do.

Erik watched her, noticing that she had become quiet again. "Are you alright?"

"This is my first ever date." Clara told him, her cheeks flushing a light pink. "It feels weird."

Erik raised an eyebrow in disbelief at her words. "Really? Your first? I find that hard to believe."

"It's true." She shrugged, finishing her pasta. "I've wanted to, but my family made things complicated. After they died I moved around too much to attempt to date."

"That makes sense. Dating isn't everything, after all." Erik nodded in understanding. "Are you enjoying the food?"

"It was good." Clara smiled, watching as Erik paid the bill after finishing his own food. "Where to now?"

Erik got to his feet, leading Clara out of the restaurant. "Did you want to go to a park or something? Or head back?"

"Park sounds fun." Clara smiled, taking Erik's hand in her own when he offered it to her, leading her to the park that was across the road.

"Bench or grass?" He asked

"Grass." Clara sat down, pulling Erik down beside her and leaning against him.

Erik chuckled, putting an arm around her, pulling her close. "Do you enjoy it, having the freedom that we do with Charles and the others?"

Clara smiled, resting her head on his shoulder. "I love it."

"How do you feel about the others?" He asked, leaning back against a tree.

"I like them." She answered, playing with a piece of hair that had fallen into her face. "I like having Sam around."

"It's surprising you get along so well." He admitted, considering the two women were unlike in many ways.

She couldn't help but laugh. "I like the female company."

Erik smiled, toying with her hair. "I think she does, too. She looks up to you."

"Why? I'm not a good role model." She scoffed. She wasn't exactly the most mentally stable person around, and thought that Sam and Raven would interact more.

"It's Sam. She drinks and has sex with Alex. I think she aspires to be...more than that." Erik shrugged, having seen how the women interacted and noticing that Sam did seem to look up to Clara.

"She exercises a lot. I see her whenever I'm in the gym." She yawned, glancing up at him.

Erik nodded. "I think Alex has got her into that. You're in good shape."

"You think?" Clara raised an eyebrow, looking down at herself. She'd always made a habit of exercising and trying to stay fit.

Erik smiled, kissing her cheek. "You have a great body."

Clara flushed slightly, picking at the hem of her clothes. "So do you."

Erik chuckled, pulling her closer. "Thank you."

* * *

Sam sat in the games room playing poker with Sean and Alex, watching as the redhead boy inspected his cards. She didn't know why, but she seemed to get along a lot better with boys than girls. Maybe it was just because of her mutation, or maybe it was because guys were just generally less…bitchy.

It had become common knowledge that she and Alex had started dating. Sam still wasn't quite sure how she felt about it, but it was something new and exciting and she did want to give it a go. When there was a knock on the door, Sam grinned and couldn't quite resist trying to get her friend into trouble.

"God, Sean, put your pants on!"

"They are on!" Sean exclaimed indignantly.

Sam couldn't help but laugh, having gotten the reaction she'd been expecting. A young man walked into the room, someone Sam hadn't seen before. He had quite spiky dark hair and piercing grey eyes, and was probably around the same height and age as Alex. She slapped her cards face-down on the carpet.

"Oh, hey. You're new."

"Yeah." The dark-haired guy jammed his hands in his pockets. "I'm Rikki."

"Samedi." She pushed herself to her feet. "These losers are Sean and Alex."

Alex frowned. "I'm not a loser."

"You're the biggest loser," Sam glanced over her shoulder at him, before turning her attention on Rikki again. "And yeah, my name means Saturday in French, before you ask."

"Then why are you dating me?" Alex asked. He noticed the way that Rikki was eyeing Sam appreciatively, and he didn't like it one bit.

"I happen to like losers." Sam raised her eyebrows when she looked back to Rikki. "So, what can you do?"

"Ice," Rikki stated, and Sam was immediately curious. Her mutation wasn't something that people could see, and she loved it when there were people around whose mutations were obvious and looked awesome.

"I scream and shatter things," Sean piped up.

"I send out rings of energy," Alex added, still watching Rikki warily.

Sam shrugged her shoulders. "Mine's lame. I can manipulate pheromones, if you know what that means."

"That's pretty cool," Rikki stated, causing Sam to smile brightly.

"Thanks. I can do some illusions too, I guess."

It wasn't something she had wanted to practise, not since what had happened to Sydney. Alex noticed Rikki looking intently at his girlfriend again and pulled her into his lap, causing her to giggle delightedly. Sean groaned at the exchange. Sam and Alex had only been dating just over a week and they were inseparable. It was vomit-worthy.

"Please don't go getting all coupley."

"How old are you?" Sam asked of Rikki, whose attention was still solely focused on her.

"Twenty." He shrugged his shoulders. "You?"

"Eighteen," Sam stated, before pulling a face. Sometimes she wondered how she'd gotten away with pretending to be older than that. "But apparently I have a bit of a baby face."

Rikki laughed. "Your body makes up for it."

"In what way?" Sam tilted her head to the side, wondering what exactly Rikki meant.

"You're curvy." Rikki's eyes did a once-over of her body. "Shows that you're a young woman."

"I think curvy is an exaggeration," Sam replied dismissively, leaning back against Alex. The blonde boy was scowling at Rikki. He didn't like the ease with which the dark-haired boy was complimenting Sam, and talking about her body the way he was.

"No, it really isn't," Rikki kept his eyes on Sam. "You've got an amazing body."

"Um, thanks." Sam twirled her blonde hair around her finger, realising that her mutation was seeming to have a heavy impact upon Rikki, meaning that he naturally had a strong attraction to her. She wondered why that was. She glanced at Alex, who had tightened his grip on her. "You okay, baby?"

"Fine," Alex said shortly, and Sam could tell that he wasn't fine at all, and he didn't appreciate the way Rikki kept staring openly at her.

"I'm going to gym it." Sam pushed herself to her feet and skipped out, closely followed by Alex. Rikki and Sean watched the pair of them leave, Sam laughing and teasing her boyfriend on the way out.

"So…that's Sam," Sean stated once they were gone.

"She's fucking hot," Rikki said approvingly.

"She's also dating Alex," Sean reminded him. Sure, he thought Sam was pretty hot – he thought most teenage girls were pretty hot. But he wasn't dumb enough to make a pass at Sam, especially not under Alex's nose. "So, he would probably kick your ass if you stare at her."

Rikki scoffed disbelievingly. "He could try."

"It'll wear off with Sam," Sean convinced him, knowing that part of Sam's appeal was her mutation. "It's probably just the pheromone thing."

"Maybe." Rikki wasn't so sure. There was just something about Sam. She was very pretty, but he it was also her personality – confident, sassy, unafraid to let her opinion be heard. Whatever it was about Sam, Rikki highly doubted he was just going to be forgetting about her anytime soon.

"Well, what's your type?" Sean inquired. Maybe he could hook Rikki up with Raven, but at the moment even Raven seemed busy – she was flirting majorly with Hank, and Sean wouldn't be surprised if something ended up happening there.

"Anything attractive," Rikki drawled.

"If you're going to flirt with Sam, prepare to get your ass kicked," Sean warned him.

Rikki folded his arms, a smug expression on his face. "Like I said, Alex could try."


	6. Comfort

**Chapter Six: Comfort**

* * *

**A/N: Here's the next chapter :) Please do review, it's really nice to hear what people are thinking, and unfortunately if we don't get reviews this story becomes less of a priority and updates become slower :( Also yes, we do know that Samedi means Saturday in French ;)**

* * *

Summer was really beginning to come around, as evidenced by the fact that the pool was finally warm enough to swim in. The boys were making full use of this, mucking around and splashing each other. Laughter reverberated around the backyard, as Sean swam to hide behind Rikki, attempting to avoid being the target of Alex's splashing. Erik watched them all with raised eyebrows and a less than impressed expression.

"So?" Sean asked, glancing over at the girls. Raven had been hanging around outside earlier, but then she'd gone inside to talk with Hank. Sam and Clara, however, seemed content to laze around in the sun rather than spend time in the water. "Do you think Clara's hot?"

"Well, yeah." Rikki shrugged his shoulders. So was Raven for that matter, but they just weren't really his type.

"So do you prefer her to Sam?" Sean asked cautiously. He wanted to get Rikki off the topic of Sam. Lately he'd been discussing her a lot, telling Sean how hot she was and what he wanted to do to her. Sean didn't want to hear it – especially as Sam was dating Alex, who would kill Rikki if he found out what Rikki had been saying about his girlfriend.

"Nope." Rikki's eyes raked hungrily over the blonde teenage girl. "Sam's got bigger boobs. More meat on her bones."

Sean shrugged his freckled shoulders. "You like blondes, I guess. I should tell Alex that."

Rikki threw him a look. "He'd kill you too."

"Why me?" Sean protested. He didn't see what he'd done wrong.

"Because you want to screw her too," Rikki pointed out, "You can't deny it."

Well, it was the truth. When Sam had first gotten to the mansion, Sean had definitely found her hot and thought about screwing her. But that had changed when she'd started dating Alex. Sure she was still attractive to him, but she was off-limits. He didn't think Rikki seemed to get that.

"It'd be nice but like, no." Sean shook his head fervently. "It's Sam. She'd probably eat me for breakfast."

* * *

Clara sat down beside Sam who was stretched out in a blue bikini that covered little of her skin, not that Clara could judge, she was dressed in a white one that covered only a little more. It was a sunny and hot day, which had forced the mansion to move out into the pool area to cool off. "Having fun?"

"Mmhmm. It's nice and warm." Sam smiled, stretching out on her back.

"I'm so happy it's so warm." Clara rolled onto her stomach, pulling her dark hair over her shoulder. She glanced around at the others as Sam laughed, noticing how the newest mutants eyes had locked onto Sam. "Rikki's watching you."

"He is?" Sam looked around, although trying not to be too obvious. Rikki seemed to notice her looking in his general direction and moved his eyes away from her body. She had a good figure and Rikki would definitely like to screw her, despite her relationship with Alex. He thought it was worth the shot. "Maybe he's never seen a girl before."

Clara grinned, having noticed Rikki had now looked away upon being caught staring. "He likes you."

"Likes me as in, hey she's alright, or likes me as in, I want to rip her clothes off and screw her senseless?" Sam raised an eyebrow, glancing at the older woman. The two had grown close, despite being almost polar opposites. Sam admired Clara in a way. She was pretty, but she didn't openly throw herself at anyway. Sam liked that about her, it showed she wasn't a try hard and didn't crave attention like most women did, although she supposed it was due to her being well past her teenage years.

Clara thought on it for a moment, rolling onto her back and glancing up at the splattering of clouds across the otherwise clear blue sky. She drew her sunglasses down over her eyes and stretched her legs out. "Option number two."

"Seriously?" Sam rolled her eyes before grinning. She hadn't been the only one who Rikki's wandering eyes had attached to. "He's looking at you too."

"Not as much as you." Clara laughed, not interested in speaking of Rikki anymore. To her he wasn't much more than a child. Besides, she was interested in another anyway.

"He's harmless. Now, you and Erik..." Sam knew the two had been on a date and was curious to see how it had gone. She loved to gossip and the blossoming relationship between the two had caught her attention from the beginning.

Clara raised an eyebrow, moving her head so she was looking at the teenager beside her. "Me and Erik?"

"Yeah, what's going on there?" Sam pressed, eager to hear about how the date had gone and what stage they'd gotten to. Although Sam assumed it was probably nothing more than kissing, it was still fun to pester.

"Not much." Clara shrugged, earning a disbelieving look from Sam. Clara shook her head, knowing the girl was going to keep bugging her until she gave in and told her every little detail of the dinner, although there wasn't that much to tell. "Its the truth."

"You two went out the other night, what happened?" Sam sat up, grabbing some sunscreen and rubbing it across her face. She didn't want her face to burn and for her to end up with some ridiculous tan line from her sunglasses.

"We ate. We spoke. That's really all there was to it. After dinner we went to the park for a bit and came home." Clara relayed to her, causing Sam to grin as she was finally getting some details out of her friend. She knew pestering would work, it always worked on Clara.

"Did you kiss?" Sam winked, hoping that the two would finally make it official.

"Yeah, but it wasn't the first time." Clara smirked, shocking Sam slightly. She knew what Clara was like among the guys in the mansion. She seemed almost scared of them, so it did surprise her that the older girl had kissed Erik before actually going on a date with him.

Sam raised an eyebrow, curious as to when this first kiss had occurred. "When was the first?"

"That night after we were playing truth or dare." She answered, stretching her legs out as she sat up, watching how the light sheen of sweat glistened, reminding her just how hot it was.

"Good. You two would be good together." Sam announced as she finished with the sunscreen, offering it to Clara who shook her head. She already had a fairly olive complexion due to her being Spanish. It took a lot for her to burn and she didn't intend to be in the sun long enough for that to happen.

Clara gave her a curious look. "What makes you say that?"

"Because you need a man." Sam stated simply.

Clara shook her head, looking up as Sean made his way over to them, carrying bottle of sunscreen, although to Clara he looked like he was already burning. "Clara, put sunscreen on my back?"

"Turn around, loser." She told him as she sat up, grabbing the sunscreen and putting some into the palm of her hand. "You should get Rikki to do it for you, Sean."

"Your hands are much more soft and feminine. But Rikki can do Sam. Her sunscreen, I mean." Sean countered, giving Sam a meaningful look.

Sam rolled her eyes, choosing to ignore his jibe. "I'm in the shade, fool."

Clara laughed as she rubbed the sunscreen into his back. "She has Alex for that."

* * *

"I don't like it when they gossip," Alex said as he hauled himself out of the pool, sitting beside Erik. He was looking over at Sam and Clara, who were still stretched out over the towels. Erik glanced at him, frowning slightly.

"Sam and Clara?"

Alex nodded. "Women gossiping is bad."

"She's talking about how you are in bed," Erik drawled, for no other reason than knowing if Alex thought Sam was talking about him in a sexual manner, it would boost his ego. Instead, the boy scoffed.

"They're probably talking about you."

Erik watched the two young women. "No, Sam's definitely talking about your performance."

"Which is amazing," Alex stated, rising magnificently to Erik's bait.

"Yes, we hear that through the walls, thank you," Erik replied dryly. No one in the mansion appreciated how _loud_ Sam and Alex were when they were having sex. Sam was a screamer, and if Alex walked around shirtless he would often have angry red scratches marks where her nails had dug into his back. Sam fared little better, often having hickeys on her neck that she tried to cover up.

"You're jealous you aren't getting any," Alex retorted. Erik didn't really care about that – at his age, he'd learned that while sex was good, it wasn't the be all and end all. Something kids like Sam and Alex were clearly yet to discover.

"I'm not a hormonal teenage boy whose girlfriend's mutation only makes him hornier than he should be," Erik pointed out.

"Oh Clara yes, just like that!" Sean cried out causing her to roll her eyes and hit him around the back of the head. Sean rubbed his head, scowling. "Ow!"

Clara pushed herself to her feet, rubbing the sunscreen off on a towel. "Loser."

"I don't like it when you hang out with Sam, you're becoming like her." Sean mocked horror; acting like her words had wounded him.

"No, you really are just a loser." Clara announced as she made her way over to Erik.

Erik shook his head, watching as she walked over to him. "So nice."

Clara grinned, shoving him into the pool. It had been a good idea to her to begin with, but she hadn't expected his reaction to be to grab her around the waist as he fell. The two of them fell into the pool in a tangle of limbs, with Clara dragging herself to the surface spluttering and coughing. She laughed when she saw Erik come up looking displeased, swimming over and kissing his cheek, raising an eyebrow as he sighed.

"What's up?"

Erik pulled her to him. "Nothing, why?"

"You and your sighing." She told him, sliding her arms around his neck.

"Samedi is a bad influence on you." Erik pointed out, grinning. "You're getting cheeky."

Clara grinned, sliding her hands down his back and pinching his ass playfully, causing him to jump and her to laugh. "Good."

* * *

"Samedi." Alex flopped beside her girlfriend, who took the opportunity to appreciate his physique. It was obvious that Alex was athletic and that he trained, and Sam found herself admiring his toned chest and his biceps. Sure, it was a little shallow of her, but a girl was allowed to check out her boyfriend.

"Alexander," Sam replied, examining him as he draped an arm around her shoulders. "No untying of the bikini, by the way. Pool rules."

He grinned and kissed her cheek. "Yes ma'am."

"Having fun swimming with the boys?" Sam teased. Although they had been dating nearly a month now, Sam didn't want the kind of relationship where she and Alex were connected at the hip. She needed to be able to spend time with others and have alone time, for her own sanity. Alex understood her need for her own space, and didn't seem to want to suffocate her in any case.

"I was, but I wanted to be with my girl," Alex responded.

Sam tossed her blonde hair back and giggled. "Aww, you're a cutie. Making friends with Rikki?"

Alex's face darkened at the mention of the new guy. "I don't like him."

"Why not?" Sam asked. She didn't have a problem with Rikki, although they weren't exactly best buddies either. Nonetheless, she couldn't understand Alex's intense dislike of the dark-haired young man.

"He watches you too much." Alex threw a frown in Rikki's direction. "He looks at you like he wants to screw you."

"Baby, I think you're imagining things," Sam stated, although what Alex was saying was pretty much the same thing Clara had said. So maybe Rikki did want her because of her mutation, but even if he did, it'd probably just die down over time. "Well, that's too bad for him then, because that's your job."

Alex wrapped his arms around her small waist. "Good. You're mine."

"So possessive…" Sam said wryly as Alex pulled her into his lap.

He grinned. "You like it."

"You know what else I like?" Sam pressed the flat of her palm to Alex's bare chest. "You, lacking a shirt."

"Like right now?" Alex smirked. He hadn't been dating Sam long but already he really liked how playful their relationship was. It was way too early for it to be something serious, but he did care about Sam and the thought of another guy – like Rikki – looking at her with desire annoyed him and made him jealous. The good thing was, he was almost 100% certain that Sam wasn't the kind of girl who would cheat.

* * *

"Come in." Clara looked at her door from where she was stretched out on her bed. She enjoyed just staying in her room sometimes and having down time. Usually it was Sam who came in to talk to her, but she wasn't surprised when Erik strode into the room. The others were probably training still, particularly Alex, unless he was with Sam, which wouldn't have surprised her. "Hey."

"How are you?" Erik asked, having noticed that she had missed out training with them today.

"Good. You?" Clara watched as he sat down on the bed beside her.

Erik put his arm around her, pulling her close. "I'm well."

Clara leant against him, resting her head on his shoulder. They sat like that for a little while before Erik shifted, pressing his lips to hers. Clara returned the kiss and soon found herself in his lap, with his arms around her waist and hers around his neck. Erik moved his mouth from her and down to her neck, leaving a trail of light kisses that made her squirm and moan.

Clara let her head fall back to allow Erik to have more access to her neck. He slid his hands up her sides, groping her. Clara felt the shock of pleasure flood through her and arched into him, raking her nails down his chest. Erik moved them so that he laid her flat on the bed, grinning when she tugged his shirt over his head, kissing down his neck as he ran his fingers through her hair.

He reached them hem of her shirt and tugged it over her head, his hands running up her stomach and underneath her to undo the clasp of her bra. It took him a moment to get it undone. As he pulled it off, he noticing her hands becoming more hesitant in their movements and her moved to rest his hands either side of her to support his weight.

"Are you alright with this?" He questioned, pushing a piece of hair out of her face.

"Yeah. I'm fine." She nodded, letting her head fall back when his lips found purchase at her neck. As his hands continued to wander over her body, Clara found herself shifting again. She wanted to enjoy it, she really did, but she also knew it probably wasn't the best idea.

Erik seemed to notice and shifted again, looking down at her. He could tell she was uncomfortable and didn't want to push her too far. "Do you want me to stop?"

"I'm sorry." She apologised, watching as he pulled off of her, flopping beside her on the bed.

Erik put his arm around her, pulling her close. "It's okay. We'll only go as far as you want to."

"I'm comfortable now." She smiled as she stretched out on against him, resting her head on his chest.

Clara frowned as she heard the distinct sound of breaking glass downstairs. She sat up and reached for her shirt, tugging it over her head and not worrying about retrieving her bra as she got to her feet. Erik watched her, noticing the expression on her face. He hadn't heard anything and was wondering what had suddenly troubled her.

"What's wrong?"

"I thought I heard glass break." Clara told him as she walked out of the room. Erik groaned, wondering what mischief the kids were up to, but grabbed his shirt and proceeded to pull it on as he followed her from the room.


	7. Aggression (M)

**Chapter Seven: Aggression**

Sam sat on the kitchen bench with her hands fisted in Alex's hair, making out with him passionately. It was nearly 2am and no one else was up, and so they'd somehow ended up having a clandestine meeting in the dimly-lit kitchen. It was meant to have been a hunt for a post-midnight snack, but it had quickly turned into something far more heated. Not that either of them minded.

Alex was groping at Sam's breasts through the fabric of the oversized shirt she wore to bed, causing her to moan softly and grind her hips. He pushed the shirt up around her waist, and Sam felt a thrill of daring as she realised that he wanted to have sex here and now. It might be partially because of her mutation, but she didn't care. She reached forward and undid Alex's pants, and he pushed them down past his hips.

"So eager…" Sam murmured with a grin as Alex tugged her undies down. He fumbled quickly for a condom in his pocket, pulling it on before nudging her thighs apart and thrusting into her. Sam moaned, wrapping her legs around his waist as he set a fast past, kissing down her neck and nibbling lightly at the tender skin.

Sam continued to moan and rock her hips against Alex, letting her head fall back. She knew the kitchen probably wasn't the ideal place, but everyone else was asleep and they just hadn't been able to help themselves. Alex gave a low groan of pleasure as he continued to pump into her, gripping her hips.

"Fuck…" Sam breathed. Her hands slid under Alex's shirt, clawing at the skin of his back as his thrusts became harder. Then she noticed Rikki had walked into the kitchen and was watching them incredulously and she pushed Alex back. "Shit!"

"Wow, okay." Rikki watched as the two teenagers immediately sprung away from each other, with Alex fixing his pants and Sam tugging her oversized shirt back down her thighs. He hadn't expected to walk into the kitchen to find Sam on the bench and Alex in front of her, the two of them having sex. "You know, there are bedrooms."

"Sorry," Sam fixed her hair. "We didn't realise you were going to be walking in…"

"You look good after sex," Rikki stated, his eyes roaming over Sam. Her hair was tousled and her lips were red and slightly swollen from Alex's attentions. There was a hickey starting to develop on her neck.

She frowned, confused. "What do you mean?"

"You look good after you've been screwed." Rikki smirked, closely inspecting her body. "Especially those legs."

Alex lost his temper hearing how Rikki was talking about his girlfriend. He stepped forward and punched him, sending him to the ground. Sam was on her feet in moments, blue eyes wide with shock as Rikki groaned in pain.

"Alex!"

"He deserved it!" Alex exclaimed. Maybe Sam didn't know what Rikki was like, but he did. He'd seen the hungry way the dark-haired boy looked at Sam. Sean had told Alex about the dirty things Rikki had said he'd like to do to Sam. It drove him nuts knowing the creep was fantasising about his girlfriend.

"Look." Sam touched Alex's arm gently, trying to calm him down. "We were just having sex and…you know my mutation probably means pheromones are high. Just calm down, baby."

"He's pissed he didn't get to finish with you," Rikki said hoarsely, pushing himself up off the kitchen tiles.

"Rikki, come on." Sam folded her arms over her chest, sensing a fight brewing. "He's going to hit you again."

"What?" Rikki gave Sam a once-over. "I can see why he likes fucking you."

"Alex!" Sam yelled again when her boyfriend's fist connected with Rikki's face. The dark-haired boy staggered, blood starting to blow from his nose. "Just stop hitting him, okay?"

"He loves it when you scream his name," Rikki said, grinning despite his injuries, "But I think it'd sound better if you were screaming mine."

"Enough, both of you." Sam stepped between them, seeing Alex tensing and getting ready to hit Rikki again. She didn't want to see the dark-haired boy hurt, but at the same time she could understand why the things he was saying pissed Alex off. They made her skin crawl. "Just leave it, Alex. It's over, okay? It's done."

"Sam, move," Alex's hands were balled into fists. "Let me kill him."

She rolled her eyes, sensing that Alex was being overdramatic. "Stop being a drama queen."

"Wouldn't be the first person you've killed." Rikki's eyes were gleaming as he directed his attention at Sam. "It's why he was in solitary."

Sam was speechless. She knew that there must have been a valid reason for Alex being put away, but _murder_? That was why he was put into a military facility? It hurt to think that Rikki knew about it, but Alex hadn't even said the slightest thing to her.

"He killed someone?"

Rikki's teeth gleamed as he grinned. "His little brother."

"Alex? Is it true?" Sam asked, but then the blonde boy had grabbed Rikki and slammed him into the glass cabinet. It shattered and pieces of glass went everywhere.

"He didn't even leave a body to bury," Rikki sneered, before he was silenced by Alex's fist colliding with his face repeatedly. Sam hurried forward and grabbed Alex's arm, trying to pull him away. He shrugged her off, his jaw clenched and his expression furious.

"Look, just…we can talk this over later with Charles, okay?"

Before Alex could say anything else, Rikki lunged forward with a piece of ice that he must have created in his hand, stabbing Alex in the side. The blonde boy staggered and Sam screamed, putting her hands over her mouth in shock. Rikki tackled Alex to the ground and Sam grabbed at his arm, desperately trying to pull him off. He turned and shoved the blonde girl, but someone caught Sam before she could stagger.

Erik and Clara had entered the kitchen, with Clara having caught a hold of a shocked Sam, and Erik hauling Rikki to his feet. Clara pulled Sam into a hug as Erik twisted Rikki's wrist hard, slamming him against the wall as he struggled angrily. Alex remained on the floor, a hand pressed over his wound to stop the flow of blood.

"What happened here?" Erik demanded, his voice as cold as the ice knife Rikki had stabbed Alex with.

"We can talk it over later, Erik." Clara's tone was urgent. "Alex needs to be seen to."

"How bad is it?" Erik asked, releasing Rikki and then inspecting Alex's wound. He helped the blonde boy to his feet, and Alex groaned in pain.

"He'll live," Clara said simply, before she helped Erik lead Alex out of the kitchen. Rikki had already legged it, and so Sam made her way upstairs with knees wobbling. She couldn't believe what had just happened, how both boys had been so volatile. Then there was what Rikki had claimed, burning in the back of her mind: had Alex really killed his younger brother?

* * *

"Why did he stab you?" Erik questioned Alex as he looked over the stab wound that, despite the pressure being applied, was still bleeding profusely.

Alex winced, as Erik pressed harder, trying to stop the bleeding. "I hit him."

"We can see that." Clara rolled her eyes as she helped Erik to take him up to the infirmary room.

"And why did you hit him?" Erik raised an eyebrow, helping Clara to set him down on a bed.

Alex scowled at the pain in his side as he sat down. "He's a jerk."

"What happened?" Erik questioned, knowing there was another reason as to why Alex had attacked Rikki.

"Doesn't matter." Alex muttered under his breath.

"It does considering he has a broken nose, you've been stabbed, and Samedi is hysterical." Erik argued, having never seen the blonde girl in such a state.

"He was just making snide comments." Alex sighed heavily, not appreciating that way that Rikki had been speaking about Sam. "And he also commented on personal issues."

Alex glanced at Erik who had a questioning look on his face, Clara however seemed to be less pressing in finding out the information. Out of the two she was the more sympathetic, and thought it would be better to question Alex when he wasn't bleeding everywhere while they waited for Hank. "I killed my younger brother. The only other person apart from me that knew that was Charles, and now you two as well as Sam. I don't know how Rikki knew."

"It's odd. Did he ever say who he was with before he came here?" Erik left the question hanging in the air, but Clara shook her head before muttering that she needed to check on Sam. Alex also shook his head, not having a clue about Rikki's past. "I'll try and find out. Subtly."

* * *

Sam walked into the infirmary the next day in the afternoon, having managed to get a long sleep throughout the morning. She was worried about him, and she was curious about what Rikki had said. Alex was lying on his side facing away from her, and Sam sat down heavily in the chair beside the bed. Hank had said that the wound wasn't deep, but Alex had been pissed when he realised he'd have to stop exercising for a couple of weeks while the stitches healed.

"You're still an idiot," Sam declared as Alex rolled over to face her. He draped an arm over his eyes, shutting out the light.

"Shut up."

She heaved a sigh. "Why did you fight him?"

"He's a dick," Alex stated, which was pretty much pointing out the obvious with Rikki. Sam had heard how Rikki taunted them. Surely she understood that he was bad news, and that she should stay away from him.

"You beat the shit out of him," Sam reminded him, leaning back in her chair and rolling her eyes. "Are all boys so dumb?"

"I'm not dumb," Alex insisted, leaning on his side so that he was facing her. Biting her lip, Sam mustered up her courage and decided to ask the question that she wasn't sure if Alex would even answer.

"Did you really kill your brother?" She frowned at Alex's nod. "Why?"

"I lost control," Alex admitted quietly, and it suddenly occurred to Sam that she wasn't the only one of the two of them who sometimes struggled with their mutation. She felt a deep wave of sympathy for her boyfriend, seeing the guilt in his blue eyes. She felt bad for bringing up the incident.

"So it was an accident?" Sam persisted, watching as he nodded again. She leaned in and hugged him, and although he winced slightly at the sudden pressure against his abdomen, Alex hugged back. She kissed his cheek. "You can control it now."

"Mostly," Alex confessed, knowing there were still times when he could slip up. He was so glad he hadn't gotten angry enough to try using his mutation on Rikki. He probably would have destroyed the kitchen, and possibly killed both Rikki and Sam.

"How does Rikki know?" Sam inquired, causing Alex's brow to furrow into a frown.

"I don't know," Alex admitted. There was no way in hell he would tell Rikki something as private about himself as his accidental killing of his brother. Not when he couldn't have even told his girlfriend of two months.

* * *

Clara rummaged through Rikki's drawers, silently cursing at her saying yes to doing this for Erik. He'd had no luck talking to the kid and Clara had stupidly suggested to check his personal items to see if she could pick anything up from it. At the time it had seemed like a good idea, but right now she was shaking at the thought of him catching her out. She continued to carefully look through his drawers, noticing a necklace and pulling it out. She examined it for a moment before she heard the door open.

Clara spun around, holding the chain in her hand behind her back. "Hi."

Rikki raised an eyebrow, leaning in the doorway. "What are you doing in my room?"

"Looking for one of Erik's shirts. He thinks it got caught up with someone else's clothes." Clara smiled sweetly, thinking of the first excuse that popped into her head.

"Right. I don't have any of Sam's panties or anything you know." Rikki smirked, knowing that it would annoy the older girl.

Clara clenched her jaw, not wanting his words to get to her. "Good."

"You know her boyfriend really has anger management issues." Rikki wandered into his room, moving out of the doorway.

Clara shrugged her shoulders. It was true that Alex had a temper, but it was worse when he was around Rikki. "He just likes beating you up."

"And I would like fucking Sam, but we can't do whatever we want. He has a temper." Rikki rolled his eyes.

"Then maybe you should learn not to anger him." Clara suggested a she moved towards the door, only to find it being blocked by Rikki.

Rikki crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. "Why were you really in my room?"

Clara stared up at him, feeling her heart rate accelerate. "I told you. I was looking for Erik's shirt."

Rikki still didn't believe her. He didn't trust anyone in the mansion, that's what he'd been told from the beginning. He had a job to do and feelings weren't allowed in the way. "Right."

Clara was beginning to become uneasy with Rikki's close proximity. "Can you move, please?"

Rikki stepped out of the way, allowing for Clara to leave the room. She moved down the hall quickly, letting out a breath she didn't realise she was holding as she heard the door shut behind her. It had been too close for comfort for her. She didn't know what he was capable of, and was hoping that he didn't notice the missing necklace.

"Genius, Clara." She muttered to herself as she bounced the necklace in her hand, walking into Erik's room. She ran her fingers over the links in the chain, hoping that he'd had it for a while. They needed to know who he was and where he had been.

Erik looked up when she walked in. "What did you find?"

Clara held up the necklace, showing him. "Necklace. I hope he doesn't notice."

"What have you found from it?" Erik moved over towards her, examining the necklace.

She shook her head. "I need to concentrate on it a bit more."


	8. Obsession

**Chapter Eight: Obsession**

* * *

**A/N: Hey everyone! So as you may have noticed, we've taken a few chapters down. This chapter is material you would have seen before, but after this we have completely changed a lot of the storyline :) Please let us know what you think!**

**Just a warning that there is sexual assault/attempted rape in this chapter.**

* * *

Sam was doing stretches in the gym when Rikki walked in, much to her irritation. She wasn't exactly happy with him, not after the fight that had occurred with Alex. She also didn't like the sexual way in which he spoke about her. She was Alex's girlfriend, and even if she wasn't, she hadn't done anything to insinuate she was interested in him in that kind of manner.

"Hey, Sam."

"Oh." Sam's voice was flat. "Hi."

"How are you?" Rikki leaned against a treadmill as he watched her stretch, either oblivious to her uninterested tone or choosing to ignore it.

"Pissed that you stabbed my boyfriend," Sam replied coldly, glaring at him. Rikki seemed to get the message that she wasn't impressed, however he immediately got on the defensive.

"He hit first."

"Rikki!" Sam exclaimed, rubbing a hand down the length of her face. It seemed like all of the stress was just exploding out from her, and Rikki was the one she was taking it out on. "You _stabbed_ him. Come on, you did the wrong thing."

"So did he," Rikki insisted, causing Sam to groan and push herself to her feet. She wasn't in the mood for this conversation if Rikki wasn't going to admit to his faults. However he quickly seemed to backtrack. "Look, I'm sorry."

She gave him a meaningful look. "You should say that to Alex."

"I owe you an apology too." He raked a hand through his spiky dark hair. "I was a jerk."

Sam chewed at her lip. She was at the mansion to make friends and learn to properly control her mutation, not to make enemies. Although Rikki had done the wrong thing, he had admitted that he was sorry for what had happened. Yes, she was still pissed off – at both of them really. But being cold and refusing to forgive anyone wasn't going to earn her any more friends.

"I guess I can forgive you."

"Good." Rikki grinned, eyes raking over her body as he watched her toss her blonde hair over her shoulder. That was what she didn't like – the way he watched her so openly, as though he had some kind of right to leer at her. "You really are sexy."

"Rikki." Sam clenched and unclenched her hands, not wanting to admit that what he said made her uncomfortable. She didn't want to seem weak. "You shouldn't talk about me like that."

"It's the truth," Rikki stated, taking a step closer to her as the blonde watched him warily. "Look, I just think you're hot, and if you weren't dating Alex, I'd screw you."

Sam blinked at the bluntness of his words. "But I am dating Alex. I'm sure there are other hot girls. You should forget about me, I'm in a relationship."

"Not forever," Rikki said, which made Sam frown. Sure, she and Alex had only been dating a few weeks, but that didn't mean he had the right to act like their relationship was already over.

"How do you know that? Alex and I could get married." She highly doubted it, but it was a form of shutting Rikki up.

"I doubt it," Rikki replied. They were both young, still teenagers. Alex, like most other males his age in the mansion – including Rikki – was horny because of Sam's mutation. They had sex frequently, but in terms of a relationship…Rikki personally didn't think it was going to last. He was hoping that it didn't.

"Okay, what's going to happen?" Sam tilted her head to the side. "Alex and I break up, you'll have sex with me and then drop me like a hot potato."

"I wouldn't." Rikki examined her critically. "You're way too attractive for that. I'd date you."

Sam raked a hand through her hair, made uncomfortable once again. Sure, since she'd been in her early teens and her mutation had developed, guys had always been leering at her and making crude comments. But once she told them to back off, they got the idea. Rikki didn't seem to, consistently making comments about Sam and her looks despite the fact that she was in a relationship and kept turning him down. It unnerved her.

"Alex wanted you, by the way," Rikki said, as an afterthought.

"You should have said so in the first place," Sam muttered, all too glad for the excuse to be away from Rikki. She swept out of the gym without a backwards glance, heading into the infirmary where Alex was still resting up. "Rikki said you wanted me."

"I'm lonely," Alex stated from where he was stretched out across the bed. His injuries were nearly healed, and Sam couldn't help but roll her eyes as she sat down beside him.

"Aww, baby." Alex slid his arms around his waist, and Sam couldn't help but think back on the things Rikki had been saying. "He keeps saying I'm sexy."

"You are sexy," Alex agreed, tightening his grip on her. "Too bad you're my sexy lady."

Sam scoffed at that. "Also, Rikki says he's sorry for stabbing you."

* * *

"Mocha time," Sam announced, balancing two cups of coffee as she headed into Rikki's room. He looked pleased to see her – as she had been expecting, and counting on. She couldn't say she particularly liked Charles's idea, but he was right in saying Rikki was most likely to open up to her.

"Thanks," Rikki said, taking one of the cups. He watched her closely as she sat down on his bed, crossing her legs. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Sam sipped her mocha. "I was curious how you found us."

"It was a chance meeting," Rikki said, sitting down beside Sam. "I ran into Clara at the shops."

Sam frowned slightly. "I thought you met Clara after you met me."

Rikki's eyes flared with panic, but only for a moment. "Nope."

"Huh." Sam feigned dumb, twirling a strand of blonde hair around her finger. She was fully aware of Rikki watching her. "Where were you before?"

"I moved around a lot as a kid," Rikki stated, watching Sam intently as she rolled onto her stomach, still clutching at her cup of coffee.

"What'd you do before you came here? Did you hang around with other mutants?" Sam forced excitement into her tone, as if the idea of Rikki's past really thrilled her. In truth, she just wanted to know what the deal was with him.

"I had a few friends that were, but we didn't always get along," Rikki admitted. Realising that he was attempting to avoid the situation, Sam turned on the charm, heightening his attraction to her in the hope that he might open up to her more.

"You're being so evasive. You trust me, don't you?"

"Honestly? I don't trust anyone." Rikki shook his head.

"You can talk to me," Sam said, her tone sultry as she touched his arm. Rikki knew that she wouldn't leave Alex for him, but he didn't know if she really flirted with other guys when Alex wasn't around.

"There isn't much to tell." Rikki gently drew away from her, causing her to frown slightly. There was definitely something Rikki was trying to hide if even her using her mutation didn't impact on him.

* * *

Rikki crept into Sam's room as she slept, eyes raking over her body. He had waited long enough for what he wanted. The blonde girl shifted slightly as Rikki slid across the bed next to her, putting a hand over her mouth and causing her to jolt awake. He couldn't help but smirk at her response.

"Hello, Samedi." He removed his hand as the blonde started to struggle. "Relax, I'm not going to hurt you. I was just mucking around."

"What…what are you doing here?" Sam asked groggily, attempting to fully rouse herself from sleep. She knew that there was no way Rikki should be in her room. It was still the middle of the night.

"I couldn't sleep." Rikki watched as she turned over to face him, puzzled. She was gorgeous. He didn't know if it was her mutation or not making him think that way, but he didn't care. All he knew was that he wanted her, more than he'd wanted other girls. He reached forward and brushed her hair out of her face. "How do you always make me want you?"

"I…I don't," Sam stammered.

"You really do." Rikki pulled her close against him, kissing her neck as she frowned, panic beginning to set in.

"Rikki, stop it. I don't use my mutation on you, at least not intentionally." It was obvious that he wasn't listening, because he started sucking at her neck, and Sam pushed him angrily. "Stop it, or I'll scream."

Rikki responded by climbing on top of her, pinning her down and kissing her. It suddenly frightened Sam how much he wanted her, that even though she was telling him no, Rikki wasn't listening. She bit down hard on his lip, tasting blood. Rikki drew back and struck her across the face, making her whimper.

His hands crawled under her pyjama shirt like cold spiders, groping at her breasts. Sam struggled and pushed his hands away. No one was allowed to touch her like that, only Alex. Rikki hit her across the face again and Sam started crying. He was so much stronger than her. She had never thought Rikki might come and try to take what he wanted by force, but it looked as though she had underestimated him. Rikki busied himself pulling her shirt off, making her cross her arms over her naked chest.

"What are you going to do to me?" Sam asked fearfully. Her entire body was shaking, because she was very much aware that there was no chance of her fighting Rikki off. He was practically twice her size. She could feel his erection where he was pressed against her, and it revolted her.

"Have some fun, then take you to Shaw," Rikki said casually, however his reply caused Sam to tense up.

"What? You work for Shaw?" They had suspected it, but it had never been confirmed. But now Sam was almost certain that if Rikki worked for someone like Shaw, he would have no problems raping her.

"Sure do." Rikki lowered his head to suck at her nipple, but it felt so wrong to Sam. She kneed him between the legs, hoping that it would deter him. Rikki groaned in pain, but his grip on her wrists didn't loosen in the least, causing Sam to choke out a sob as he turned his attention back to her neck. "I'm going to have fun with you."

"Rikki, please," Sam begged, hoping that she would find some sense of humanity in him, a part of him that realised what he was doing was wrong. "You don't want to do this, you really don't."

"I really do." Rikki's lustful eyes raked approvingly over the half-naked blonde, and Sam screwed up her nose and spat in his face. He hit her again, smirking as she fell limp, crying silently. What was the point in struggling when it would only be worse for her? He was going to hurt her either way, why shouldn't she just lie there and take it?

Sam squirmed furiously as Rikki ran his hand up her leg, over her thigh. His fingers disappeared under her pyjama shorts and she kept struggling. He tugged them down, nudging her legs apart. He pushed two icy cold fingers into her, and she felt violated. Sam wanted to scream, but it was like her voice had died in her throat.

She didn't want him to touch her like that. She didn't want to have sex with him. But right here and right now, Sam didn't think what she wanted mattered at all. The only thing that mattered to Rikki was his obsession with her, and that he was finally about to get what he wanted.

Clara pushed the door open to Sam's room, looking around for the younger girl as she stepped in. "Sam?"

Charles followed her, frowning when he noticed Rikki pinning her down, their clothes torn and half missing.

Rikki barely had a moment to respond before her was thrown hard into the opposing wall, resulting in Sam curling up, tugging her knees to her chest. Rikki pushed himself from the ground, glancing down at his hands as the skin began to split, pain searing through his body as he let out a strangled scream. Moments later his body exploded from within, showering the room and everyone in it with blood.

"Samedi..." Charles approached the now screaming girl quietly, glancing at Clara who was leaning against the door, slightly dizzy. He reached out to her tentatively, drawing back as Sam created the illusion of spiders crawling under his skin. Upon seeing her reaction to Charles, Clara made her way over to Sam, sitting down beside her.

Alex, having heard the screaming from both Rikki and Sam, burst into the room, paling when he saw the now blood stained walls. "What the hell?"

"He...he..." Sam tried to choke out, her words getting caught in her throat.

Clara pulled Sam to her, stroking her hair in a comforting manner as the younger girl buried her face in Clara's shoulder. "It's okay. You're safe now."

Sam clutched onto her, her sobbing subsiding. "I did nothing, I just...he hit me and I let it happen."

Clara kissed the top of her head, holding her close. "He can't hurt you now."

"What was that? I've never seen you lose it like that." Sam murmured quietly, unaware that Clara had the ability to get that angry. She had always seen the older woman as such a calm person.

"I didn't know I could do that." Clara admitted, rubbing her back in a comforting gesture.

Sam glanced up at her. "Why were you so mad?"

"Because… I've been through the same thing as you." Clara answered, still uncomfortable with talking about her past. "I'll explain later. We need to get you cleaned up."

Sam closed her eyes as Clara helped her to her feet, trying to calm herself down as she let Clara lead her to the bathroom. "I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm okay."

As they reached it, Clara shut the door before turning the shower on. She helped Sam out of her clothes before the younger girl stepped into the shower, sinking down in the corner and taking deep breaths as the hot water fell over her. Clara made sure Sam was letting the blood run off her before tugging her shirt and jeans off, chucking them in the corner of the room.

She made her way over to the sink, turning the tap on and grabbing a washcloth that was sitting on the side of the basin. She began to scrub the blood and other parts of Rikki's body off of her arms. She sighed heavily as she wiped the blood from herself, turning the previously white washcloth a sickening shade of red.

"So? What was it?" Sam asked, breaking the silence.

Clara glanced at her, having noticed that most of the blood has washed off of Sam's body, but was still clumped in her hair. "What was what?"

"What happened to you?" Sam could tell that the older woman was uncomfortable about talking about it, but at the same time she wanted to understand why it had impacted her so much to witness Rikki attempting to rape her.

"I was raped by my brother when I was sixteen." Clara sighed heavily, glancing down at her hands. Her brother had been an emotionally unstable schizophrenic who had various other mental conditions due to the abuse his father had forced upon him emotionally and physically. He had been three years older than her, resenting her and Oscar for having a loving father. Clara, however, was grateful that they hadn't shared the same father, and that her mother had broken out of the abusive relationship. "But that's all in the past. He's dead now."

Sam watched as she sat beside her in the shower, beginning to wash the blood from her hair as Sam kept curled in a ball. "What happened to me...it must seem so small. Such a stupid thing to get worked up about. He didn't even rape me."

"Don't. You had every right to get upset, Sam." Clara told her as she massaged shampoo into her blonde hair, attempting to get all of the blood and gore out of it.

Sam couldn't hold back the sob as it pushed past her lips. Rikki had told her that she had made him do it, and she couldn't help but believe him. There was only so many times you could deny something until you cracked and believed it to be true after having it beaten into you. "It was my fault. He said I made him want me."

Clara gripped Sam's shoulder, making her look her in the eye. "You cannot make a man do that. Don't you even think for a moment that it was your fault, Sam. It wasn't."

Sam wiped at her eyes as Clara moved to turn the shower off. "Clara, is Alex going to hate me?"

"Of course not." Clara assured her. She knew if anything, Alex was going to be extremely supportive. She grabbed a towel, handing it to Sam and leading her down the hall to her room, knowing very well that Sam couldn't stay in hers and she wouldn't be comfortable in Alex's. "Come on, you need sleep."

* * *

"What happened?" Alex asked, gazing around the room with a distasteful expression. Blood and guts spattered the wall and floor. He'd seen some pretty disgusting things in his lifetime, but he didn't ever think he'd seen something so horrible.

Charles sighed. "Clara killed Rikki. Violently."

Alex looked repulsed. "I vote not cleaning this room."

"He was going to rape Sam," Charles said quietly, noticing how the blonde boy's frame tensed at the words. He was very protective of his girlfriend, and had certainly noticed Rikki's interest in her.

"Then he's lucky Clara killed him," Alex said darkly, "I would've killed him slower."

"She'll be alright," Charles assured him. Sam was very shaken up considered what had nearly happened, but Clara would take care of her. Right now, she needed to be around another woman.

"We should get Hank to look her over," Alex stated, raking a hand through his blonde hair.

"He didn't get…he hadn't hurt her like that." Charles didn't exactly know how to put it into words, but he did want to get across to Alex that Rikki hadn't succeeded in raping Sam. "You can talk to her, you know."

Alex shook his head. "I'll give her some space."

"Are you alright?" Charles inquired. He knew that while this event had impacted heavily on Sam, Alex was her boyfriend. Seeing her in such a state, even if only briefly, could not have been easy for him.

"I think so," Alex said uncertainly.

"You can go back to bed if you'd like," Charles said, looking around the room. It certainly wasn't a pleasant sight.

"I probably should start cleaning," Alex sighed heavily, grimacing at the blood that stained the floor. It was going to take a while before the room was cleaned of Rikki's blood and guts, and probably longer still before Sam would be comfortable sleeping in there again.

Charles raised his eyebrows. "I thought you voted not to."

"Who else is going to do it? Sean?" Alex scoffed. "Please."

"I'll have to get Sam to sleep somewhere, maybe in yours for a few nights," Charles suggested. The taint of blood was going to take a few days to come out, and the room was probably going to be full of the metallic smell for at least a week.

Alex winced. "Probably not a good idea."

"That's true, she might not be comfortable," Charles agreed, remembering how Sam had flinched away from him when he'd tried to reach out to her.

"Clara could move and Sam could have her room," Alex suggested.

Charles contemplated what had happened inside the room tonight. Nothing of this nature had ever occurred at the mansion before, and he wondered how he was going to explain the screaming, and Rikki's absence. He remembered delving into the young man's mind to find out what was going on, and not liking what he'd found.

"I was inside his head. For the last few moments."

"And?" Alex glanced at him. "Was he in pain?"

Charles nodded. "Yes, immense pain. There were other things, before Clara started on him, when we first caught him. Horrible things. He wasn't one of us."

"Who was he then?" Alex asked.

"Shaw planted him here. He was a spy." Charles took a deep breath, trying to shake away Rikki's depraved thoughts about the blonde teenage girl he'd become obsessed with. "In return for his services…"

"He'd get Sam," Alex said slowly, angry realisation dawning in his blue eyes.

"We need more information," Charles sighed. He'd gained little information from Rikki's mind – who the boy worked for, his desire for Sam, but nothing much more.

"Maybe Rikki has something Clara can read off," Alex suggested.

Charles shook his head. "He got a whole set of new things, on the advice of another comrade. But…perhaps she could try reading Sam. The last thing Rikki touched."

Alex nodded, looking solemn. It was obvious that he hadn't anticipated Rikki trying to force himself on Sam, no matter how much he'd obsessed over her in the past. Her subconscious mutation had impacted strongly upon him.

"You should get some sleep," Charles said. It was going to be a long few days.


End file.
